toe    trvmsidi 


BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 


perj  tout-  en,  revenant  &  la/vire  cfe. 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER 
WATERLOO 


BETTERS- 

FROM 

EDWARD  [_STANLEY 

SOMETIME  BISHOP  OF  NORWICH 

(1802;   1814;   1816) 


EDITED    BY   JANE    H.   ADEANE    AND    MAUD    GRENFELL 


D.  ^A£PLETON   &   COMPANY 

1908 


First  Edition       -  19°? 

Second  Impression  I9°8 


(All  rights  reserved.) 


ECHOES    OF    PAST    DAYS 


ALDERLEY  RECTORY 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH    OF   EDWARD   STANLEY  .  .         9 

CHAPTER    I 
NEW   FRANCE   AND   OLD    EUROPE          .  ,  .  25 

CHAPTER  II 

AFTER  NAPOLEON'S  FALL      .  .  .  .  '73 

CHAPTER  III 
UNDER   THE   BOURBON   FLAG .  .  .  .  -97 

CHAPTER   IV 
ON   THE   TRACK   OF   NAPOLEON'S   ARMY  .  .  .    144 

CHAPTER    V 
THE   LOW   COUNTRIES  .  *.  .  .  •    J99 

CHAPTER   VI 
THE   WATERLOO   YEAR  .  .  .  •    235 

CHAPTER    VII 

AFTER   WATERLOO        ,  .  .  ,  .  .247 

3 


The  originals  of  most  of  the  letters  now  published  are, 
with  the  drawings  that  illustrate  them,  at  Llanfawr, 
Holyhead. 

Some  extracts  from  these  letters  have  already  appeared 
in  the  "Early  Married  Life  of  'Maria  Josepha,  Lady  Stanley? 
but  are  here  inserted  again  by  kind  permission  of  Messrs. 
Longman,  and  complete  Bishop  Stanley's  correspondence. 

Portions  of  letters  quoted  in  Dean  Stanley's  volume, 
"Edward  and  Catherine  Stanley?  have  also  been  used 
with  Messrs.  Murray's  consent. 

In  addition  to  the  MSS.  at  Llanfawr,  Lord  Stanley  of 
Alder  ley  has  kindly  contributed  some  original  letters  in  his 
possession. 

/.  H.  A. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


"LE  COURIER  DU  RHIN "    ....  Frontispiece 

Sketch  brought  to  England  1814  by  General  Scott  of  Tltorpe, 
one  of  the  detenus  in  France  for  ten  years  after  the  rupture 
of  the  Peace  of  Amiens,  mentioned  page  73. 

BISHOP  STANLEY       .....        To  face  page    2 
By  John  Linnell.    From  a  drawing  in  the  possession  of 
Canon  J.  Hugh  Way,  Henbury. 

MARGARET  OWEN,   LADY  STANLEY  .  .  ,  IO 

From  a  miniature  in  the  possession  of  Lady  Reade- 
Carregtwyd,  Anglesey. 

"  FLIGHT  OF  INTELLECT "    .  .  .  .  „  17' 

Humorous  sketch  by  E.  Stanley. 

EDWARD  STANLEY,    l8oO        ....  ,,25 

By  P.  Green.  The  original  in  the  possession  of  Lord  Stanley 
of  Alderley,  at  Penrhos,  Anglesey. 

THE  PRISON  OF  THE  TEMPLE  ...  „  31 

Sketch  by  E.  Stanley,  1802. 

THE  GUILLOTINE  AT  CHALON-SUR-SAONE  .  „  43 

Sketch  by  E.  Stanley. 

LORD  SHEFFIELD       .....  »  73 

By  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  P.R.A.  Front  an  engraving  in  the 
possession  of J.  H.  Ad  cane,  Lanfawr,  Holy  head. 

KITTY   LEYCESTER,   MRS.   EDWARD   STANLEY  .  „  82 

From  a  drawing  by  H.  Edridge,  A.R.A.,  at  Alderley  Park, 
Cheshire. 

PARIS,    1814.      OLD   BRIDGE  AND  CHATELET  .  „  IO8 

E.  Stanley. 

PARIS,  LA  POMPE,  NOTRE  DAME     .  .  .  „  US 

E.  S. 

PARISIAN  AMUSEMENTS         ...  „  141 

E.  S. 

THE  CATACOMBS,   PARIS        ....  ,,143 

E.  S. 

LAON.      HOUSES  AND    TOWER,    1814  .  M  l6l 

E.  S. 

BERRY  AU   BAC  .....  ,,164 

E.  S. 


8  BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

VERDUN.     BRIDGE    .....    To  face  page  1 68 

E.  Stanley. 

FRENCH  DILIGENCE  .  .  .  .  „  193 

E.  S. 

DUTCH  SHIPS  .  .  .  .  .  ,,199 

E.  S. 

DUTCH  DILIGENCE  ON   BOARD   A   BOAT       .  .  „  2ig 

E.  S. 

GOAT  CARRIAGE  FOR  THE  LITTLE  KING  OF  ROME  „  223 

E.  S. 

DUTCH  TABLE  D'HOTE  .  .  .  .  „  226 

E.  S. 

OLD  HOUSES,   SAARDAM         .  .  .  .  .'  ,,  228 

E.  S. 

PETER  THE  GREAT'S  HOUSE,  SAARDAM      .  .  „  230 

£.  S. 

DUTCH   FISHERMEN   .  .  .  .  .  ,,  233 

E.  S. 

DUTCH  CARRIAGE      .  .  .  .  .  ,,  234 

E.  S. 

CORN  MILLS  AT  VERNON      ....  „  247 

E.  S. 

FRENCH  CABRIOLET  ....  „  260 

E.  S. 

HOUGOUMONT  .....  „  263 

E.  S. 

INTERIOR  OF  HOUGOUMONT  ...  „  265 

£.  S. 

LA   BELLE  ALLIANCE  .  .  .  .  „  267 

E.  S. 

WATERLOO      .  ....  .  .  „  270 

E.  S. 

GHENT.      ST.   NICHOLAS          ....  „  274 

E.  S. 

PORTE  DE  HALLE,   BRUSSELS,   LEADING  TO  WATERLOO        „  276 

E.  S. 

PARISIAN  RATCATCHER  AND  ITINERANT  VENDORS  „  300 

£.  S. 

THE  GREAT  GREEN  COACH.  ...  „  306 

E.  S. 

ALDERLEY  RECTORY  .....      page  308 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH   OF  EDWARD  STANLEY 

THE  letters  which  are  collected  in  this  volume 
were  written  from  abroad  during  the  opening 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  at  three  different 
periods  :  after  the  Peace  of  Amiens  in  1802  and 
1803,  after  the  Peace  of  Paris  in  1814,  and  in  the 
year  following  Waterloo,  June,  1816. 

The  writer,  Edward  Stanley,  was  for  thirty-three 
years  an  active  country  clergyman,  and  for  twelve 
years  more  a  no  less  active  bishop,  at  a  time  when 
such  activity  was  uncommon,  though  not  so  rare 
as  is  sometimes  now  supposed. 

Although  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  Cheshire 
families,  he  did  not  share  the  opinions  of  his  county 
neighbours  on  public  questions,  and  his  voice  was 
fearlessly  raised  on  behalf  of  causes  which  are  now 
triumphant,  and  against  abuses  which  are  now  for- 
gotten, but  which  acutely  needed  champions  and 
reformers  a  hundred  years  ago. 

His  foreign  journeys,  and  more  especially  the 
first  of  them,  had  a  large  share  in  determining  the 
opinions  which  he  afterwards  maintained  against 
great  opposition  from  many  of  his  own  class  and 
profession.  The  sight  of  France  still  smarting 
under  the  effects  of  the  Reign  of  Terror,  and  of 


10        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

other  countries  still  sunk  in  Medisevalism,  helped  to 
make  him  a  Liberal  with  "a  passion  for  reform  and 
improvement,  but  without  a  passion  for  destruction." 

He  was  born  in  1779,  the  second  son  and  youngest 
child  of  Sir  John  Stanley,  the  Squire  of  Alderley 
in  Cheshire,  and  of  his  wife  Margaret  Owen  (the 
Welsh  heiress  of  Penrhos  in  Holyhead  Island),  who 
was  one  of  the  "  seven  lovely  Peggies,"  well  known 
in  Anglesey  society  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

The  pictures  of  Edward  Stanley  and  his  mother, 
which  still  hang  on  the  walls  of  her  Anglesey  home, 
show  that  he  inherited  the  brilliant  Welsh  colouring, 
marked  eyebrows  and  flashing  dark  eyes  that 
gave  force  as  well  as  beauty  to  her  face.  From 
her,  too,  came  the  romantic  Celtic  imagination  and 
fiery  energy  which  enabled  him  to  find  interests 
everywhere,  and  to  make  his  mark  in  a  career 
which  was  not  the  one  he  would  have  chosen. 

"  In  early  years "  (so  his  son  the  Dean  of 
Westminster  records)  "  he  had  acquired  a  passion 
for  the  sea,  which  he  cherished  down  to  the  time 
of  his  entrance  at  college,  and  which  never  left  him 
through  life.  It  first  originated,  as  he  believed,  in 
the  delight  which  he  experienced,  when  between 
three  and  four  years  of  age,  on  a  visit  to  the  seaport 
of  Weymouth  ;  and  long  afterwards  he  retained  a 
vivid  recollection  of  the  point  where  he  caught  the 
first  sight  of  a  ship,  and  shed  tears  because  he  was 
not  allowed  to  go  on  board.  So  strongly  was  he 
possessed  by  the  feeling  thus  acquired,  that  as  a 


cJrfcit-atu-tt  &*v-tfi .  ^Lcuhf-  oJ-t 


n.  1743  trlr.  1816. 


A  BORN  SAILOR  11 

child  he  used  to  leave  his  bed  and  sleep  on  the 
shelf  of  a  wardrobe,  for  the  pleasure  of  imagining 
himself  in  a  berth  on  board  a  man-of-war.  .  .  .  The 
passion  was  overruled  by  circumstances  beyond  his 
control,  but  it  gave  a  colour  to  his  whole  after-life. 
He  never  ceased  to  retain  a  keen  interest  in  every- 
thing relating  to  the  navy.  ...  He  seemed  instinc- 
tively to  know  the  history,  character,  and  state  of 
every  ship  and  every  officer  in  the  service.  Old 
naval  captains  were  often  astonished  at  finding  in 
him  a  more  accurate  knowledge  than  their  own  of 
when,  where,  how,  and  under  whom,  such  and  such 
vessels  had  been  employed.  The  stories  of  begging 
impostors  professing  to  be  shipwrecked  seamen 
were  detected  at  once  by  his  cross-examinations. 
The  sight  of  a  ship,  the  society  of  sailors,  the 
embarkation  on  a  voyage,  were  always  sufficient 
to  inspirit  and  delight  him  wherever  he  might  be." 

His  life,  when  at  his  mother's  home  on  the 
Welsh  coast,  only  increased  this  liking,  and  till  he 
went  to  Cambridge  in  1798  his  education  had  not 
been  calculated  to  prepare  him  for  a  clerical  life. 
He  never  received  any  instruction  in  classics ;  of 
Greek  and  Latin  and  mathematics  he  knew  nothing, 
and  owing  to  his  schools  and  tutors  being  constantly 
changed,  his  general  knowledge  was  of  a  desultory 
sort. 

His  force  of  character,  great  perseverance  and 
ambition  to  excel  are  shown  in  the  strenuous  manner 
in  which  he  overcame  all  these  obstacles,  and  at 
the  close  of  his  college  career  at  St.  John's,  Cam- 


12         BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

bridge,  became  a  wrangler  in  the  Mathematical 
Tripos  of  1802. 

After  a  year  passed  in  foreign  travel  Edward 
Stanley  returned  home  at  his  brother's  request,  and 
took  command  of  the  Alderley  Volunteers — a  corps 
of  defence  raised  by  him  on  the  family  estate  in 
expectation  of  a  French  invasion. 

In  1803  he  was  ordained  and  became  curate  of 
Windlesham,  in  Surrey.  There  he  remained  until 
he  was  presented  by  his  father  in  1805  to  the 
living  of  Alderley,  where  he  threw  himself  enthusi- 
astically into  his  work. 

Alderley  parish  had  long  been  neglected,  and 
there  was  plenty  of  scope  for  the  young  Rector. 

Before  he  came,  the  clerk  used  to  go  to  the 
churchyard  stile  to  see  whether  there  were  any 
more  coming  to  church,  for  there  were  seldom 
enough  to  make  a  congregation,  but  before  Edward 
Stanley  left,  his  parish  was  one  of  the  best  organised 
of  the  day.  He  set  on  foot  schemes  of  education 
throughout  the  county  as  well  as  at  Alderley,  and 
was  foremost  in  all  reforms. 

The  Chancellor  of  the  diocese  wrote  of  him  : 
44  He  inherited  from  his  family  strong  Whig  prin- 
ciples, which  he  always  retained,  and  he  never 
shrank  from  advocating  those  maxims  of  toleration 
which  at  that  time  formed  the  chief  watchwords  of 
the  Whig  party." 

He  was  the  first  who  distinctly  saw  and  boldly 
advocated  the  advantages  of  general  education  for 
the  people,  and  set  the  example  of  the  extent  to 


A  CHESHIRE   PRIZE   FIGHT  13 

which  general  knowledge  might  be  communicated 
in  a  parochial  school. 

"  To  analyse  the  actual  effects  of  his  ministrations 
on  the  people  would  be  difficult,  .  .  .  but  the  general 
result  was  what  might  have  been  expected.  Dis- 
sent was  all  but  extinguished.  The  church  was 
filled,  the  communicants  many." 

He  helped  to  found  a  Clerical  Society,  which 
promoted  friendly  intercourse  with  clergy  holding 
various  views,  and  was  never  afraid  of  avowing  his 
opinions  on  subjects  he  thought  vital,  lest  he  should 
in  consequence  become  unpopular. 

He  grudged  no  trouble  about  anything  he  under- 
took, and  the  people  rejoiced  when  they  heard  "  the 
short,  quick  tramp  of  his  horse's  feet  as  he  went 
galloping  up  their  lanes."  The  sick  were  visited 
and  cheered,  and  the  children  kindly  cared  for  in 
and  out  of  school. 

It  was  said  of  him  that  "  whenever  there  was  a 
drunken  fight  in  the  village  and  he  knew  of  it,  he 
would  always  come  out  to  stop  it — there  was  such 
a  spirit  in  him." 

Tidings  were  once  brought  to  him  of  a  riotous 
crowd,  which  had  assembled  to  witness  a  desperate 
prize  fight,  adjourned  to  the  outskirts  of  his  parish, 
and  which  the  respectable  inhabitants  were  unable 
to  disperse.  "  The  whole  field  "  (so  one  of  the 
humbler  neighbours  represented  it)  "  was  filled  and 
all  the  trees  round  about,  when  in  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  I  saw  the  Rector  coming  up  the  road 
on  his  little  black  horse  as  quick  as  lightning,  and 


14          BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

I  trembled  for  fear  they  should  harm  him.  He  rode 
into  the  field  and  just  looked  round  as  if  he  thought 
the  same,  to  see  who  there  was  that  would  be  on 
his  side.  But  it  was  not  needed  ;  he  rode  into  the 
midst  of  the  crowd  and  in  one  moment  it  was  all 
over.  There  was  a  great  calm  ;  the  blows  stopped  ; 
it  was  as  if  they  would  all  have  wished  to  cover 
themselves  up  in  the  earth.  All  from  the  trees 
they  dropped  down  directly.  No  one  said  a  word 
and  all  went  away  humbled." 

The  next  day  the  Rector  sent  for  the  two  men, 
not  to  scold  them,  but  to  speak  to  them,  and  sent 
them  each  away  with  a  Bible.  The  effect  on  the 
neighbourhood  was  very  great,  and  put  a  stop  to 
the  practice  which  had  been  for  some  time  pre- 
valent in  the  adjacent  districts. 

His  influence  was  increased  by  his  early  know- 
ledge of  the  people,  and  by  the  long  connection  of 
his  family  with  the  place. 

Two  years  after  Edward  had  accepted  the  incum- 
cency,  his  father  died  in  London,  but  he  had  long 
before  given  up  living  in  Cheshire,  and  Alderley 
Park  had  been  occupied  at  his  desire  by  his  eldest 
son,  afterwards  Sir  John,  who  had  made  his  home 
there  since  his  marriage  in  1796. 

Both  the  Stanley  brothers  married  remarkable 
women.  Lady  Maria  Josepha  Holroyd,  Sir  John's 
wife,  was  the  elder  daughter  of  the  first  Lord 
Sheffield,  the  friend  and  biographer  of  Gibbon, 
and  her  strong  personality  impressed  every  one 
who  met  her, 


"KITTY  LEYCESTER"  15 

Catherine,  wife  of  the  Rector,  was  the  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Oswald  Leycester,  of  Stoke  Rectory,  in 
Shropshire.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  Leycesters 
of  Toft  House,  only  a  few  miles  from  Alderley,  and 
at  Toft  most  of  Catherine's  early  years  were  spent. 
She  was  engaged  to  Edward  Stanley  before  she 
was  seventeen,  but  did  not  marry  him  till  nearly 
two  years  later,  in  1810. 

During  the  interval  she  spent  some  time  in 
London  with  Sir  John  and  Lady  Maria  Stanley, 
and  in  the  literary  society  of  the  opening  years  of 
the  nineteenth  century  she  was  much  sought  after 
for  her  charm  and  appreciativeness,  and  for  what 
Sydney  Smith  called  her  "  porcelain  understanding." 
The  wits  and  lions  of  the  Miss  Berrys'  parties  vied 
with  each  other  in  making  much  of  her ;  Rogers 
and  Scott  delighted  in  her  conversation — in  short, 
every  one  agreed,  as  her  sister-in-law  Maria  wrote, 
that  "  in  Kitty  Leycester  Edward  will  indeed  have 
a  treasure." 

After  her  marriage  she  kept  up  with  her  friends 
by  active  correspondence  and  by  annual  visits  to 
London.  Still,  "  to  the  outside  world  she  was 
comparatively  unknown ;  but  there  was  a  quiet 
wisdom,  a  rare  unselfishness,  a  calm  discrimination, 
a  firm  decision  which  made  her  judgment  and  her 
influence  felt  through  the  whole  circle  in  which  she 
lived."  Her  power  and  charm,  coupled  with  her 
husband's,  made  Alderley  Rectory  an  inspiring 
home  to  their  children,  several  of  whom  inherited 
talent  to  a  remarkable  degree. 


16         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Her  sister  Maria l  writes  from  Hodnet,  the  home  of 
the  poet  Heber:  "I  want  to  know  all  you  have  been 
doing  since  the  day  that  bore  me  away  from  happy 
Alderley.  Oh !  the  charm  of  a  rectory  inhabited 
by  a  Reginald  Heber  or  an  Edward  Stanley ! " 

That  Rectory  and  its  surroundings  have  been 
perfectly  described  in  the  words  of  the  author  of 
"Memorials  of  a  Quiet  Life"2  :  "A  low  house,  with 
a  verandah  forming  a  wide  balcony  for  the  upper 
storey,  where  bird-cages  hung  among  the  roses  ;  its 
rooms  and  passages  filled  with  pictures,  books,  and 
old  carved  oak  furniture.  In  a  country  where  the 
flat  pasture  lands  of  Cheshire  rise  suddenly  to  the 
rocky  ridge  of  Alderley  Edge,  with  the  Holy  Well 
under  an  overhanging  cliff;  its  gnarled  pine-trees, 
its  storm-beaten  beacon  tower  ready  to  give  notice 
of  an  invasion,  and  looking  far  over  the  green  plain 
to  the  smoke  which  indicates  in  the  horizon  the 
presence  of  the  great  manufacturing  towns." 

There  was  constant  intercourse  between  the  Park 
and  the  Rectory,  and  the  two  families  with  a  large 
circle  of  friends  led  most  interesting  and  busy  lives. 
The  Rector  took  delight  in  helping  his  seven  nieces 
with  their  Italian  and  Spanish  studies,  in  fostering 
their  love  of  poetry  and  natural  history,  and  in 
developing  the  minds  of  his  own  young  children. 
He  wrote  plays  for  them  to  act  and  birthday  odes 
for  them  to  recite. 

1  Maria  Leycester,  m.  1829  Rev.  Augustus  Hare. 

2  "Memorials  of  a  Quiet  Life,"  by  Augustus  Hare,  adopted 
son  of  Mrs.  Augustus  Hare  (Maria  Leycester). 


"JETJX  D'ESPRIT"  17 

Legends  of  the  countryside,  domestic  tragedies 
and  comedies  were  turned  into  verse,  whether  it 
were  the  Cheshire  legend  of  the  Iron  Gates  or  the 
fall  of  Sir  John  Stanley  and  his  spectacles  into  the 
Alderley  mere,  the  discovery  of  a  butterfly  or  the 
loss  of  "a  superfine  piece  of  Bala  flannel." 

His  caricatures  illustrated  his  droll  ideas,  as  in 
his  sketches  of  the  six  "  Ologies  from  Entomology 
to  Apology."  His  witty  and  graceful  "  Bustle's 
Banquet"  or  the  "Dinner  of  the  Dogs"  made  a 
trio  with  the  popular  poems  then  recently  published 
of  the  "  Butterfly's  Ball  "  and  "  The  Peacock  at 
Home." 

"And  since  Insects  give  Balls  and  Birds  are  so  gay, 
'Tis  high  time  to  prove  that  we  Dogs  have  our  day." 

He  wrote  a  "  Familiar  History  of  Birds,"  illustrated 
by  many  personal  observations,  for  throughout  his 
life  he  never  lost  a  chance  of  watching  wild  bird 
life.  In  his  early  days  he  had  had  special  oppor- 
tunities of  doing  so  among  the  rocks  and  caverns 
of  Holyhead  Island.  He  tells  of  the  myriads  of 
sea-birds  who  used  to  haunt  the  South  Stack  Rock 
there,  in  the  days  when  it  was  almost  inaccessible ; 
and  of  their  dispersal  by  the  building  of  the  first 
lighthouse  there  in  1808,  when  for  a  time  they 
deserted  it  and  never  returned  in  such  numbers. 

His  own  family  at  Alderley  Rectory  consisted  of 
three  sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  eldest  son,  Owen,  had  his  father's  passion 
for  the  sea,  and  was  allowed  to  follow  his  bent. 

2 


18         BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

His  scientific  tastes  led  him  to  adopt  the  surveying 
branch  of  his  profession,  and  in  1836,  when  ap- 
pointed to  the  Terror  on  her  expedition  to  the 
North  Seas,  he  had  charge  of  the  astronomical 
and  magnetic  operations. 

When  in  command  of  the  Britomarty  in  1840, 
he  secured  the  North  Island  of  New  Zealand  to 
the  English  by  landing  and  hoisting  the  British 
flag,  having  heard  that  a  party  of  French  emigrants 
intended  to  land  that  day.  They  did  so,  but  under 
the  protection  of  the  Union  Jack. 

In  1846  Owen  Stanley  commanded  the  Rattle- 
snake in  an  important  and  responsible  expedition 
to  survey  the  unknown  coast  of  New  Guinea  ;  this 
lasted  four  years  and  was  very  successful,  but  the 
great  strain  and  the  shock  of  his  brother  Charles' 
death  at  Hobart  Town,  at  this  time,  were  too  much 
for  him.  He  died  suddenly  on  board  his  ship  at 
Sydney  in  1850,  "after  thirty-three  years'  arduous 
service  in  every  clime." 

Professor  Huxley,  in  whose  arms  he  breathed  his 
last,  was  surgeon  to  this  expedition,  and  his  first 
published  composition  was  an  article  describing  it. 
He  speaks  of  Owen  Stanley  thus :  "  Of  all  those 
who  were  actively  engaged  upon  the  survey,  the 
young  commander  alone  was  destined  to  be  robbed 
of  his  just  rewards  ;  he  has  raised  an  enduring 
monument  in  his  works,  and  his  epitaph  shall  be  the 
grateful  thanks  of  many  a  mariner  threading  his 
way  among  the  mazes  of  the  Coral  Seas." 

The  second  and  most  distinguished  of  the  three 


SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS  19 

sons  was  Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley,  of  whom  it  was 
said  "that  in  the  wideness  of  his  sympathies,  the 
broadness  of  his  toleration,  and  the  generosity  of  his 
temperament  the  brilliant  Dean  of  Westminster  was 
a  true  son  of  his  father,  the  Bishop  of  Norwich." 

The  third  son,  Charles  Edward,  a  young  officer 
in  the  Royal  Engineers,  who  had  done  good  work 
in  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Wales,  and  was  already 
high  in  his  profession,  was  suddenly  cut  off  by  fever 
at  his  official  post  in  Tasmania  in  1849. 

The  eldest  daughter,  Mary,  had  great  powers  of 
organisation,  was  a  keen  philanthropist  and  her 
father's  right  hand  at  Norwich.  In  1854  she  took 
charge  of  a  detachment  of  nurses  who  followed  Miss 
Nightingale's  pioneer  band  to  the  East,  and  worked 
devotedly  for  the  Crimean  sick  and  wounded  at  the 
hospital  at  Koulalee. 

Katherine,  the  youngest  daughter,  a  most  origi- 
nal character,  married  Dr.  Vaughan,  headmaster 
of  Harrow,  Master  of  the  Temple,  and  Dean  of 
Llandaff.  She  survived  her  whole  family  and  lived 
till  1899. 

The  home  at  Alderley  lasted  for  thirty-three  years, 
during  which  Edward  Stanley  had  changed  the  whole 
face  of  the  parish  and  successfully  organised  many 
schemes  of  improvement  in  the  conditions  of  the 
working  classes  in  his  neighbourhood.  He  could 
now  leave  his  work  to  other  hands,  and  felt  that  his 
energies  required  a  wider  field,  so  that  when  in  1838 
Lord  Melbourne  offered  him  the  See  of  Norwich  he 
was  induced  to  accept  the  offer,  though  only  '•"  after 


20         BEFORE  AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

much  hesitation  and  after  a  severe  struggle,  which 
for  a  time  almost  broke  down  his  usual  health  and 
sanguine  spirit." 

"  It  would  be  vain  and  useless,"  he  said,  "  to  speak 
to  others  of  what  it  cost  me  to  leave  Alderley  "  ;  but 
to  his  new  sphere  he  carried  the  same  zeal  and  in- 
domitable energy  which  had  ever  characterised  him, 
and  gained  the  affection  of  many  who  had  shuddered 
at  the  appointment  of  a  "  Liberal  Bishop." 

At  Norwich  his  work  was  very  arduous  and 
often  discouraging.  He  came  in  the  dawn  of  the 
Victorian  age  to  attack  a  wall  of  customs  and 
abuses  which  had  arisen  far  back  in  the  early 
Georgian  era,  with  no  hereditary  connection  or 
influence  in  the  diocese  to  counteract  the  odium 
that  he  incurred  as  a  new-comer  by  the  institution 
of  changes  which  he  deemed  necessary. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  for  three  or  four  years  he 
had  to  stem  a  steady  torrent  of  prejudice  and  more 
or  less  opposition  ;  but  though  his  broadminded 
views  were  often  the  subject  of  criticism,  his  bitterest 
opponents  could  not  withstand  the  genial,  kindly 
spirit  in  which  he  met  their  objections. 

"At  the  time  of  his  entrance  upon  his  office 
party  feeling  was  much  more  intense  than  it  has 
been  in  later  years,  and  of  this  the  county  of 
Norfolk  presented,  perhaps,  as  strong  examples  as 
could  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  kingdom." 

The  bishop  was  "  a  Whig  in  politics  and  a 
staunch  supporter  of  a  Whig  ministry,"  but  in  all 
the  various  questions  where  politics  and  theology 


THE   CHARTIST  MOB  21 

cross  one  another  he  took  the  free  and  comprehen- 
sive instead  of  the  precise  and  exclusive  views,  and 
to  impress  them  on  others  was  one  chief  interest 
of  his  new  position. 

The  indifference  to  party  which  he  displayed, 
both  in  social  matters  and  in  his  dealings  with 
his  clergy,  tended  to  alienate  extreme  partisans 
of  whatever  section,  and  at  one  time  caused  him 
even  to  be  unpopular  with  the  lower  classes  of 
Norwich  in  spite  of  his  sympathies. 

The  courage  with  which  the  Rector  had  quelled 
the  prize  fight  at  Alderley  shone  out  again  in  the 
Bishop.  "  I  remember,"  says  an  eye-witness, 
"  seeing  Bishop  Stanley,  on  a  memorable  occasion, 
come  out  of  the  Great  Hall  of  St.  Andrew's, 
Norwich.  The  Chartist  mob,  who  lined  the  street, 
saluted  the  active,  spare  little  Bishop  with  hooting 
and  groans.  He  came  out  alone  and  unattended 
till  he  was  followed  by  me  and  my  brother,  deter- 
mined, as  the  saying  is,  '  to  see  him  safe  home,' 
for  the  mob  was  highly  excited  and  brutal.  Bishop 
Stanley  marched  along  ten  yards,  then  turned 
sharp  round  and  fixed  his  eagle  eyes  on  the  mob, 
and  then  marched  ten  yards  more  and  turned 
round  again  rapidly  and  gave  the  same  hawk-like 
look." 

His  words  and  actions  must  often  have  been 
startling  to  his  contemporaries  ;  when  temperance 
was  a  new  cause  he  publicly  spoke  in  support  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Father  Mathew,  who  had 
promoted  it  in  Ireland;  when  the  idea  of  any  educa- 


22          BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

tion  for  the  masses  was  not  universally  accepted 
he  advocated  admitting  the  children  of  Dissenters 
to  the  National  Schools ;  and  when  the  stage  had 
not  the  position  it  now  holds,  he  dared  to  offer 
hospitality  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  its 
representatives,  Jenny  Lind,  to  mark  his  respect 
for  her  life  and  influence. 

For  all  this  he  was  bitterly  censured,  but  his 
kindly  spirit  and  friendly  intercourse  with  his  clergy 
smoothed  the  way  through  apparently  insurmount- 
able difficulties,  and  his  powerful  aid  was  ever  at 
hand  in  any  benevolent  movement  to  advise  and 
organise  means  of  help. 

In  his  home  at  Norwich  the  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
Stanley  delighted  to  welcome  guests  of  every  shade 
of  opinion,  and  one  of  them,  a  member  of  a  well- 
known  Quaker  family,  has  recorded  her  impression 
of  her  host's  conversation.  "  The  Bishop  talks, 
darting  from  one  subject  to  another,  like  one 
impatient  of  delay,  amusing  and  pleasant,"  and  he 
is  described  on  coming  to  Norwich  as  having  "  a 
step  as  quick,  a  voice  as  firm,  a  power  of  enduring 
fatigue  almost  as  unbroken  as  when  he  traversed 
his  parish  in  earlier  days  or  climbed  the  precipices 
of  the  Alps." 

In  his  public  life  the  liveliness  of  his  own  interest 
in  scientific  pursuits,  the  ardour  with  which  he 
would  hail  any  new  discovery,  the  vividness  of 
his  own  observation  of  Nature  would  illustrate 
with  an  unexpected  brilliancy  the  worn-out  topics 
of  a  formal  speech.  Few  who  were  present  at 


23 

the  meeting  when  the  Borneo  Mission  was  first 
proposed  to  the  London  public  in  1847  can  forget 
the  strain  of  naval  ardour  with  which  the  Bishop 
offered  his  heartfelt  tribute  of  moral  respect  and 
admiration  to  the  heroic  exertions  of  Sir  James 
Brooke. 

It  was  his  highest  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  the 
merits  or  to  contribute  to  the  welfare  of  British 
seamen.  He  seized  every  opportunity  of  addressing 
them  on  their  moral  and  religious  duties,  and  many 
were  the  rough  sailors  whose  eyes  were  dimmed 
with  tears  among  the  congregations  of  the  crews 
of  the  Queen  and  the  Rattlesnake,  when  he 
preached  on  board  those  vessels  at  Plymouth, 
whither  he  had  accompanied  his  eldest  son,  Captain 
Owen  Stanley,  to  witness  his  embarkation  on  his 
last  voyage. 

"  The  sermon,"  so  the  Admiral  told  Dean 
Stanley  twenty  years  afterwards,  "was  never  for- 
gotten. The  men  were  so  crowded  that  they 
almost  sat  on  one  another's  shoulders,  with  such 
attention  and  admiration  that  they  could  scarcely 
restrain  a  cheer." 

For  twelve  years  his  presence  was  felt  as  a 
power  for  good  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  his  diocese  ;  and  after  his  death,  in  September, 
1849,  his  memory  was  long  loved  and  revered. 

"  I  felt  as  if  a  sunbeam  had  passed  through  my 
parish,"  wrote  a  clergyman  from  a  remote  corner  of 
his  diocese,  after  a  visit  from  him,  "  and  had  left 
me  to  rejoice  in  its  genial  and  cheerful  warmth. 


24         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

From  that  day  I  would  have  died  to  serve  him  ; 
and  I  believe  that  not  a  few  of  my  humble  flock 
were  animated  by  the  same  kind  of  feeling." 

His  yearly  visits  to  his  former  parish  of  Alderley 
were  looked  forward  to  by  those  he  had  known  and 
loved  during  his  long  parochial  ministrations  as  the 
greatest  pleasure  of  their  lives. 

"  I  have  been,"  he  writes  (in  the  last  year  of  his 
life),  "  in  various  directions  over  the  parish,  visiting 
many  welcome  faces,  laughing  with  the  living, 
weeping  over  the  dying.  It  is  gratifying  to  see 
the  cordial  familiarity  with  which  they  receive  me, 
and  Norwich  clergy  would  scarcely  know  me  by 
cottage  fires,  talking  over  old  times  with  their 
hands  clasped  in  mine  as  an  old  and  dear  friend." 

Under  the  light  which  streams  through  the 
stained  glass  of  his  own  cathedral  the  remains  of 
Bishop  Stanley  rest  in  the  thoroughfare  of  the 
great  congregation. 

"When  we  were  children,"  said  a  grey-haired 
Norfolk  rector  this  very  year,  "  our  mother  never 
allowed  us  to  walk  upon  the  stone  covering  Bishop 
Stanley's  grave.  I  have  never  forgotten  it,  and 
would  not  walk  upon  it  even  now." 

"We  pass;  the  path  that  each  man  trod 
Is  dim,  or  will  be  dim,  with  weeds : 
What  fame  is  left  for  human  deeds 
In  endless  age?     It  rests  with  God." 


CHAPTER  I 

NEW  FRANCE  AND  OLD  EUROPE 

Rouen  and  its  theatres — Painted  windows — Paris — Costumes 
&  la  Fran$aise — The  guillotine — Geneva — Vetturino  travel- 
ling— Italy — Spain — The  Ship/ofin  of  Leith — Gibraltar. 

IN  June,  1802,  Edward  Stanley  started  on  the 
first  of  those  foreign  journeys  which,  through- 
out his  life,  continued  to  be  his  favourite  form  of 
holiday. 

He  had  just  left  Cambridge,  having  obtained 
a  brilliant  degree,  and  before  taking  Orders  he 
set  out  with  his  college  friend,  Edward  Hussey,1 
on  the  Grand  Tour  which  was  then  considered 
necessary  to  complete  a  liberal  education. 

They  were  fortunate  in  the  moment  of  their 
journey,  for  the  Treaty  of  Amiens,  which  had  been 
concluded  only  a  few  months  before,  had  enabled 
Englishmen  to  tour  safely  in  France  for  the  first 
time  for  many  years ;  and  every  scene  in  France 

1  E.  Hussey,  of  Scotney  Castle,  Kent.  He  died  in  1817  and 
left  his  only  son  Edward  (married,  1853,  Henrietta  Clive,  daughter 
of  Baroness  Windsor)  to  the  guardianship  of  Edward  Stanley. 

25 


26         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

was  full  of  thrilling  interest.  The  marks  of  the 
Reign  of  Terror  were  still  plainly  to  be  seen, 
and  the  new  order  of  things  which  the  First 
Consul  had  inaugurated  was  only  just  beginning. 

It  was  an  epoch-making  journey  to  a  young  man 
fresh  from  college,  and  Edward  Stanley  was  deeply 
impressed  by  what  he  saw. 

He  could  compare  his  own  experiences  with  those 
of  his  brother  and  father,  who  had  been  in  France 
before  the  Revolution,  and  of  his  sister-in-law,  Maria 
Josepha,  who  had  travelled  there  just  before  the 
Reign  of  Terror ;  and  in  view  of  the  destruction 
which  had  taken  place  since  then,  he  was  evidently 
convinced  that  Napoleon's  iron  hand  was  the 
greatest  boon  to  the  country. 

He  and  his  companion  had  the  good  fortune  to 
leave  France  before  the  short  interval  of  peace 
ended  abruptly,  and  they  were  therefore  saved  from 
the  fate  of  hundreds  of  their  friends  and  fellow- 
travellers  who  had  thronged  across  the  Channel  in 
1802,  and  who  were  detained  by  Napoleon  for  years 
against  their  will. 

Edward  Stanley  and  Edward  Hussey  left  France 
at  the  end  of  June,  and  went  on  to  Switzerland, 
Italy,  and  finally  to  Spain,  where  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  which  they  met,  reveal  the  extraordinary 
dearth  of  personal  comfort  and  civilised  habits 
among  that  nation  at  the  time. 

The  dangers  and  discomforts  did  not,  however, 
interfere  with  the  interest  and  pleasure  of  the  writer 
who  describes  them.  Then  and  ever  after,  travelling 


1802]          POVERTY-STRICKEN  ROUEN  27 

was  Edward   Stanley's  delight,  and  he    took    any 
adventure  in  the  spirit  of  the  French  song — 

"Je  suis  touriste 
Quel  gai  metier." 

His  letters  to  his  father  and  brother  show  that 
he  lost  no  opportunity  of  getting  information  and 
of  recording  what  he  saw  ;  and  he  began  on  this 
journey  the  first  of  a  long  series  of  sketchbooks, 
by  which  he  illustrated  his  later  journeys  so  pro- 
fusely. 


Edward,  Stanley  to  his  Father,  Sir  John  T. 
Stanley,  Bart. 

ROUEN,  June  n,  1802. 

MY  DEAR  FATHER, — You  have  already  heard 
that  I  arrived  here,  &  have  been  fortunate  in 
every  thing  since  I  left  England.  Our  passage 
from  Brighton  to  Dieppe  was  short  and  pleasant, 
and  so  was  our  stay  at  Dieppe,  which  we  left  the 
morning  after  we  arrived  in  it.  I  never  saw  France 
before  the  Revolution,  &  therefore  cannot  judge  of 
the  Contrasted  appearance  of  its  towns,  but  this  I 
can  safely  say,  that  I  never  before  saw  such  strong 
marks  of  Poverty  both  in  the  houses  &  Inhabitants. 
I  have  as  yet  seen  nothing  like  a  Gentleman ; 
probably  many  may  affect  the  dress  and  manners  of 
the  lower  Orders,  in  order  to  screen  themselves  & 
may  consider  that  an  outward  show  of  Poverty  is 


28         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

the  only  way  of  securing  what  Riches  they  have.     I 
can  conceive  nothing  so  melancholy. 

When  I  saw  fine  seats  without  Windows  or  with 
shattered  Roofs,  &  everywhere  falling  to  decay,  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  their  unfortunate  Owners, 
who,  even  if  they  were  lucky  enough  to  be  rein- 
stated in  their  possessions,  might  fear  to  repair  their 
Places,  lest  an  Appearance  of  comfort  might  tempt 
the  Government  to  seize  their  Effects.  The  only 
Buildings  at  all  tolerable  are  the  Barracks,  which  in 
general  are  large  and  well  taken  care  of,  &  plenty 
of  them  there  are  in  every  town  and  village.  Every 
Person  is  here  a  Soldier,  ready  to  turn  out  at  a 
moment's  warning.  This  Town  is  in  a  flourishing 
State  at  present,  tho'  during  the  war  not  a 
single  ship  made  its  appearance  in  its  Ports ;  now 
there  are  a  great  number  of  Vessels,  chiefly  Dutch. 
The  Trade  is  Cotton,  for  the  Manufactory  of  Stuffs 
and  Handkerchiefs.  It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
dearest  towns  in  France  ;  certainly  I  have  not  found 
things  very  cheap.  We  were  at  the  Play  last  night. 
An  Opera  called  "  La  Dot,"  and  an  after  piece 
called  "  Blaise  &  Bullet "  were  performed.  The 
Actors  were  capital,  at  Drury  Lane  they  could  not 
have  acted  better.  The  House  is  very  large  for  a 
Country  Theatre  and  very  pretty,  but  so  shockingly 
filthy  and  offensive,  that  I  wondered  any  Person 
could  go  often,  but  habit,  I  suppose,  reconciles 
everything.  There  were  a  great  many  officers  in 
the  Boxes,  a  haughty  set  of  beings,  who  treat  their 
Compatriotes  in  a  very  scurvy  way.  They  are  the 


1802]  THEATRE  MANNERS  29 

King's  of  the  place  and  do  what  they  please. 
Indeed,  we  had  a  fine  Specimen  of  Liberty  during 
the  Performances.  An  Actress  had  been  sent  to 
Rouen  from  Paris,  a  wretched  Performer  she  was, 
but  from  Paris  she  came,  and  the  Managers  were 
obliged  to  accept  her  &  make  her  act.  The  Con- 
sequence was,  she  soon  got  hissed,  and  a  Note  was 
thrown  on  the  Stage  ;  whatever  it  was  they  were  not 
permitted  to  read  or  make  it  public  till  they  had 
shewn  it  to  the  Officer  of  Police,  who  in  the  present 
Case  would  not  let  them  read  it.  The  hissing  was, 
however,  continued  from  Corners  of  the  House, 
&  one  man  who  sate  near  us  talked  in  a  high 
style  about  the  People  being  imposed  on,  when  in 
the  middle  of  his  Speech  I  saw  this  Man  of  Liberty 
jump  out  of  the  Box  and  disappear  in  an  Instant. 
I  opened  the  Box  door  to  see  what  was  the  cause, 
when  lo !  the  Lobby  was  filled  with  Soldiers,  with 
their  Bayonets  fix'd,  and  the  officer  was  looking 
about  for  any  Person  who  might  dare  to  whistle  or 
hiss,  and  silent  and  contented  were  the  Audience 
the  rest  of  the  Performance.  I  cannot  help  men- 
tioning a  Speech  I  heard  this  very  evening  at  the 
Play.  A  Man  was  sitting  near  a  Lady  &  very  angry 
he  was,  &  attempted  often  to  hiss,  but  was  for  some 
time  kept  quiet  by  the  Lady.  At  last  he  lost  all 
Patience  and  exclaimed,  "Ma  Foi,  Madame,  Je  ferai 
ici  comme  si  jetais  en  Angleterre  ou  on  fait  tout  ce 
qu'on  plait."  And  away  he  went  to  hiss  ;  with  what 
effect  his  determination  a  1'Angloise  was  attended,  I 
have  mentioned.  I  afterwards  entered  into  conver- 


30          BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

sation  with  the  Lady,  &  when  she  told  me  about 
the  Police  Officer  not  giving  permission  to  read  the 
note,  she  added,  looking  at  us,  "  to  you,  Gentlemen, 
this  must  be  a  second  Comedy."  Last  night 
(Sunday)  I  went  to  a  Fete  about  a  mile  from  the 
Town  ;  we  paid  is.  3d.  each.  It  concluded  with  a 
grand  Firework.  It  was  a  sort  of  Vauxhall.  In 
one  part  of  the  Gardens  they  were  dancing  Cotillons, 
in  another  swinging.  In  another  part  bands  of 
Music.  I  was  never  so  much  entertained  as  with 
the  Dancers  ;  most  of  them  were  Children.  One 
little  set  in  a  Cotillon  danced  in  a  Style  I  could  not 
have  fancied  possible;  you  will  think  I  am  telling  a 
Traveller  s  Story  when  I  tell  you  I  thought  they 
performed  nearly  as  well  as  I  could  have  seen  at 
the  Opera.  Here,  as  at  the  Theatre,  Soldiers  kept 
every  body  in  awe  ;  a  strong  party  of  Dragoons  were 
posted  round  the  Gardens  with  their  horses  saddled 
close  at  hand  ready  to  act.  I  din'd  yesterday  at  a 
Table  d'Hote,  with  five  French  Officers.  In  my 
life  I  never  saw  such  ill  bred  Blackguards,  dirty  in 
their  way  of  eating,  overbearing  in  their  Conversa- 
tion, tho'  they  never  condescended  to  address  them- 
selves to  us,  and  more  proud  and  aristocratical 
than  any  of  the  fi-devant  Noblesse  could  ever  have 
been.  From  this  Moment  I  believe  all  the  Accounts 
I  have  heard  from  our  officers  of  the  French  officers 
who  were  prisoners  during  the  War.  They  were 
always  insolent,  and  excepting  in  some  few  cases, 
ungratefull  in  the  extreme  for  any  kindness  shewn 
to  them. 


THE    PRISON    OF    THE    TEMPLE,    PARIS,    JUNE,     1802. 


face  p.  31. 


1802]  HIGHWAY  PERILS  31 

PARIS,  June  17^. 

The  Day  before  yesterday  I  arrived  in  this 
Metropolis.  We  left  Rouen  in  a  Diligence  & 
had  a  pleasant  Journey  ;  the  Country  we  passed 
over  was  throughout  extremely  fertile ;  whatever 
Scarcity  exists  at  present  in  France,  it  must 
be  of  short  duration,  as  the  Harvest  promises  to 
be  abundant,  and  as  every  Field  is  corn  land,  the 
quantity  of  Grain  will  be  immense.  Government 
has  indeed  now  taken  every  precaution.  The  Ports 
of  Rouen  &  Dieppe  were  filled  with  Ships  from 
Embden  &  Dantzig  with  Corn.  Our  Diligence 
was  accompanied  all  the  Night  by  a  Guard  of 
Dragoons,  and  we  passed  every  now  and  then 
parties  of  Foot  Soldiers  on  the  Watch.  The 
reason  was,  that  the  road  had  lately  been  infested 
with  Robbers,  who  attacked  the  Public  Carriages 
in  great  numbers,  sometimes  to  the  Amount  of  40 
together.  They  in  general  behaved  well  to  the 
Passengers,  requiring  only  any  Money  belonging 
to  Government  which  might  happen  to  be  in  the 
Carriage.  At  present  as  the  Leader  is  taken  and 
the  Band  dispersed,  there  is  no  Danger,  but  it  is 
a  good  excuse  to  keep  a  Number  of  Troops  in  that 
part  of  the  Country.  We  entered  Paris  by  St. 
Denis,  but  the  fine  Church  and  Royal  Palace  are 
not  now  as  they  were  in  your  time.  The  Former 
is  in  part  unroofed  and  considerably  damaged — the 
latter  is  a  Barrack  and  from  its  outward  appearance 
seems  to  have  suffered  much  in  the  Revolution. 
The  City  of  Paris  on  entering  it  by  no  means 


32         BEFORE    AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

strikes  a  stranger.  In  your  time  it  must  have 
been  but  tolerable,  now  it  is  worse,  as  every  other 
house  seems  to  be  falling  down  or  to  be  deserted. 
We  have  taken  our  abode  in  the  Rue  de  Vivienne 
at  the  Hotel  de  Boston,  a  central  Situation  and  the 
house  tolerably  dear.  The  poor  Hussey  suffered 
so  much  from  a  Nest  of  Buggs  the  first  night,  that 
he  after  enduring  them  to  forage  on  his  body  for  an 
Hour,  left  his  Bed  &  passed  the  night  on  a  sofa. 
A  propos,  I  must  beg  to  inform  Mr.  Hugh  Ley- 
cester  that  I  paid  Attention  to  the  Conveyances  on 
the  road  &  think  that  he  will  have  no  reason  to 
complain  of  them ;  the  vehicles  are  not  quite  so 
good  as  in  England  nor  are  the  Horses,  but  both 
are  still  very  tolerable.  The  Inns  I  slept  at  were 
very  good,  and  the  roads  by  no  means  bad.  I 
have  been  to  a  Play  every  Night  since  my  arrival 
in  Paris  and  shall  continue  so  to  do  till  I  have  seen 
all  the  theatres.  The  first  evening  I  went  to  the 
"  Theatre  de  la  Rdpublique " ;  I  am  told  it  is  the 
best.  At  least  the  first  Actors  performed  there. 
It  is  not  to  be  compared  with  any  of  ours  in  style 
of  fitting  up.  The  want  of  light  which  first  strikes 
a  Stranger's  eye  on  entering  a  foreign  Play-house 
has  its  Advantage.  It  shews  off  the  Performers 
and  induces  the  Audience  to  pay  more  Attention 
to  ye  Stage,  but  the  brilliant  Effect  we  are  used  to 
find  on  entering  our  Theatres  is  wanting.  This 
House  is  not  fitted  up  with  any  taste.  I  thought 
the  theatre  at  Rouen  preferable.  The  famous 
Talma,  the  Kemble,  acted  in  a  Tragedy,  & 


"COSTUMES  A  LA   FRANgAISE"  33 

Mme.  Petit,  the  Mrs.  Siddons  of  Paris,  performed. 
The  former,  I  think,  must  have  seen  Kemble,  as  he 
resembles  him  both  in  person  and  style  of  acting, 
but  I  did  not  admire  him  so  much.  In  his  silent 
Acting,  however,  he  was  very  great.  Mme.  Petit 
acted  better  than  any  tragic  Actress  I  have  ever 
seen,  excepting  Mrs.  Siddons.  After  the  Play  last 
Night  I  went  to  the  Frascati,  a  sort  of  Vauxhall 
where  you  pay  nothing  on  entering,  but  are 
expected  to  take  some  refreshments.  This,  Mr. 
Palmer  told  me,  was  the  Lounge  of  the  Beau 
Monde,  who  were  all  to  be  found  here  after  the 
Opera  &  Plays.  We  have  nothing  of  the  sort  in 
England,  therefore  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe 
it.  We  staid  here  about  an  hour.  The  Company 
was  numerous,  &  I  suppose  the  best,  at  least  it 
was  better  than  any  I  had  seen  at  the  Theatres  or 
in  the  Walks,  but  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  very  bad. 
The  Men  I  shall  say  nothing  more  of,  they  are  all 
the  same.  They  come  to  all  Places  in  dirty  Neck- 
cloths or  Pocket  Handkerchiefs  tied  round  their 
necks  &  most  of  them  have  filthy  great  Coats  & 
Boots,  in  short,  Dress  amongst  the  Bucks  (&  I  am 
told  that  within  this  Month  or  two  they  are  very 
much  improved)  seems  to  be  quite  out  of  the 
Question.  As  for  the  Ladies,  O  mon  Dieu ! 
Madame  Recamier's  l  Dress  at  Boodles  was  by  no 
means  extraordinary.  My  sister  can  describe  that 
and  then  you  may  form  some  idea  of  them.  By 

1  Madame  Recamier,  famous  French  beauty,  1777-1849. 

3 


34         BEFORE   AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

what  I  can  judge  from  outward  appearance,  the 
Morals  of  Paris  must  be  at  a  very  low  ebb.  I 
may  perhaps  see  more  of  them,  when  I  go  to  the 
Opera  &  Parties.  I  have  a  thousand  things  more 
to  say,  but  have  no  room.  This  Letter  has  been 
written  at  such  out  of  the  way  times  &  by  little 
bits  at  a  time,  that  I  know  not  how  you  will  connect 
it,  but  I  have  not  a  moment  to  spare  in  the  regular 
Course  of  the  Day.  It  is  now  between  6  &  7 
o'Clock  in  the  Morning,  and  as  I  cannot  find  my 
Cloaths  am  sitting  in  a  Dress  a  la  Mode  d'une 
Dame  Franchise  till  Charles  comes  up  with  them. 
Paris  is  full  of  English,  amongst  others  I  saw 
Montague  Matthews  at  the  Frascati.  I  shall 
stay  here  till  5th  July,  as  my  chance  of  seeing 
Buonaparte  depends  on  my  staying  till  4th,  when 
he  reviews  the  Consular  Guard.  He  is  a  fine 
fellow  by  all  accounts  ;  a  Military  Government 
when  such  a  head  as  his  manages  everything 
cannot  be  called  a  Grievance.  Indeed,  it  is  pro- 
ductive of  so  much  order  and  regularity,  that  I 
begin  not  to  dislike  it  so  much.  At  the  Theatres 
you  have  no  disturbance.  In  the  streets  Carriages 
are  kept  in  order — in  short,  it  is  supreme  and  seems 
to  suit  this  Country  vastly  well,  but  God  forbid  I 
should  ever  witness  it  in  England.  You  may  write 
to  me  and  tell  others  so  to  do  till  the  25th  of  June. 
Adieu  ;  I  cannot  tell  when  I  shall  write  again.  This 
you  know  is  a  Family  Epistle,  therefore  Farewell 
to  you  all. 

ED.  STANLEY. 


1802]  DIEPPE  35 

I  have  just  paid  a  visit  to  Madame  de  D.  She 
received  me  very  graciously,  &  strongly  pressed  me 
to  stay  till  i4th  of  July  to  be  present  at  the  Grand 
Day.  She  says  Paris  is  not  now  worth  seeing,  but 
then  every  Person  will  be  in  Town.  If  there  is  no 
other  way  of  seeing  Buonaparte  I  believe  I  shall 
stay — but  I  do  not  wish  it — 1  shall  prefer  Geneva. 

Edward  Stanley  to  his  brother,  J.  T.  Stanley. 

HOTEL  DE  BOSTON,  RUE  VIVIENNE, 

June  21,  1802. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER,—  ...  I  sailed  from 
Brighton  on  the  evening  of  8th  and  was  wafted 
by  a  fine  Breeze  towards  this  Coast,  which  we 
made  early  on  the  morning  of  gth,  but  owing  to 
the  tide,  which  had  drifted  us  too  much  to  leeward 
of  Dieppe,  we  were  unable  to  land  before  noon. 
We  were  carried  before  the  Officer  of  the  muni- 
cipality, who  after  taking  down  our  names,  ages,  & 
destination,  left  us  to  ramble  about  at  pleasure. 
Whatever  Dieppe  might  have  been  before  the 
Revolution,  it  is  now  a  melancholy-looking  place. 
Large  houses  falling  to  ruin.  Inhabitants  poor, 
Streets  full  of  Soldiers,  &  Churches  turned  into 
Stables,  Barracks,  or  Magazines.  We  staid  there 
but  one  night  &  then  proceeded  in  one  of  their 
Diligences  to  Rouen.  These  Conveyances  you 
of  course  have  often  seen  ;  they  are  not  as  Speedy 
in  their  motion  as  an  English  Mail  Coach,  or  as 
easy  as  a  Curricle,  but  we  have  found  them  very 
convenient,  &  shall  not  complain  of  our  travelling 


36         BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

accommodation  if  we  are  always  fortunate  enough 
to  meet  with  these  vehicles.  At  Rouen  we  staid 
four  days,  as  the  Town  is  large  and  well  worth 
seeing ;  I  then  made  an  attempt  to  procure  you 
some  painted  glass ;  as  almost  all  the  Churches 
and  all  the  Convents  are  destroyed,  their  fine 
windows  are  neglected,  &  the  panes  broken  or 
carried  off  by  almost  every  person.  The  Stable 
from  whence  our  Diligence  started  had  some 
beautiful  windows,  and  had  I  thought  of  it  in 
time  I  think  I  might  have  sent  you  some.  As 
it  was  I  went  to  the  owner  of  the  Churches  & 
asked  him  if  he  would  sell  any  of  the  windows. 
Now  tho'  ever  since  he  has  had  possession  of 
them  Everybody  has  been  permitted  to  demolish 
at  pleasure,  he  no  sooner  found  that  a  Stranger 
was  anxious  to  procure  what  to  him  was  of  no 
value,  &  what  he  had  hitherto  thought  worth 
nothing,  than  he  began  to  think  he  might  take 
advantage  &  therefore  told  me  that  he  would 
give  me  an  answer  in  a  few  days  if  I  would  wait 
till  he  could  see  what  they  were  worth.  As  I  was 
going  the  next  morning  I  could  not  hear  the  result, 
but  I  think  you  could  for  one  guinea  purchase 
nearly  a  whole  Church  window,  at  least  it  may 
be  worth  your  while  to  send  to  Liverpool  to  know 
if  any  Ship  is  at  any  time  going  there.  The  Pro- 
prietor of  these  Churches  is  a  Banker,  by  name 
Tezart ;  he  lives  in  la  Rue  aux  Ours. 

I  arrived  in  Paris  on  the  1 5th,  and  intend  staying 
even  till  the  i4th  of  July  if  I  cannot  before  then 


1802]    EVERY   PARIS   STREET   A   BARRACK    37 

see  the  chief  Consul.  Hitherto  I  have  been  unfor- 
tunate ;  I  have  in  vain  attended  at  the  Thuilleries 
when  the  Consular  guard  is  relieved,  and  seated 
myself  opposite  his  box  at  the  Opera.  On  the  4th 
of  July,  however,  there  is  a  Review  of  his  Guard, 
when  he  always  appears,  then  I  shall  do  my  utmost 
to  £et  a  view  of  him.  I  cannot  be  introduced  as  I 

C5 

have  not  been  at  our  Court,  and  no  King  was  ever 
more  fond  of  Court  Etiquette  than  Buonaparte. 
He  resides  in  the  Thuilleries;  opposite  to  his 
windows  is  the  place  de  Carousel,  which  he  has 
Separated  from  the  great  Area  by  a  long  Iron  rail- 
ing with  three  Gates.  On  each  side  of  the  2  side 
Gates  are  placed  the  famous  brazen  horses  from 
Venice,  the  middle  Gate  has  2  Lodges,  where  are 
stationed  Horse  Guards.  Above  this  Gate  are  four 
Gilt  Spears  on  which  are  perched  the  Cock  &  a 
Civic  wreath  which  I  at  first  took  for  the  Roman 
Eagle,  borne  before  their  Consuls,  resembling  it  in 
every  other  respect.  These  Gates  are  shut  every 
night  and  also  on  every  Review  day.  Paris,  like 
all  the  Country,  swarms  with  Soldiers  ;  in  E very- 
Street  there  is  a  Barrack.  In  Paris  alone  there  are 
upwards  of  15  thousand  men.  I  must  say  nothing 
of  the  Government.  It  is  highly  necessary  in 
France  for  every  person,  particularly  Strangers, 
to  be  careful  in  delivering  their  opinions ;  I  can 
only  say  that  the  Slavery  of  it  is  infinitely  more 
to  my  taste  than  the  Freedom  of  France.  The 
public  Exhibitions  (and  indeed  almost  Every  thing 
is  public)  are  on  a  scale  of  Liberality  which  should 


38         BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

put  England  to  the  blush.  Everything  is  open 
without  money.  The  finest  library  I  ever  saw  is 
open  Daily  to  Every  person.  You  have  but  to  ask 
for  any  book,  &  you  are  furnished  with  it,  and 
accommodated  with  table,  pens,  ink,  &  paper. 
The  Louvre,  the  finest  Collection  of  pictures  and 
Statues  in  the  world,  is  likewise  open,  &  not 
merely  open  to  view.  It  is  filled,  excepting  on  the 
public  days,  with  artists  who  are  at  liberty  to  copy 
anything  they  please.  Where  in  England  can  we 
boast  of  anything  like  this  ?  Our  British  Museum 
is  only  to  be  seen  by  interest,  &  then  shewn  in  a 
very  cursory  manner.  Our  Public  Libraries  at  the 
Universities  are  equally  difficult  of  access.  It  is 
the  most  politic  thing  the  Government  could  have 
done.  The  Arts  are  here  encouraged  in  a  most 
liberal  manner.  Authors,  Painters,  Sculptors,  and, 
in  short,  all  persons  in  France,  have  opportunities 
of  improving  themselves  which  can  not  be  found 
in  any  other  Country  in  the  World,  not  even  in 
Britain.  You  may  easily  conceive  that  I  who  am 
fond  of  painting  was  most  highly  Entertained  in 
viewing  the  Great  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  &  yet 
you  will,  I  am  sure,  think  my  taste  very  deficient 
when  I  tell  you  that  I  do  not  admire  the  finest 
pictures  of  Raphael,  Titian,  Guido,  and  Paul 
Veronese,  so  much  as  I  do  those  of  Rubens, 
Vandyke,  &  le  Brun,  nor  the  landscapes  of  Claude 
and  Poussin  so  much  as  Vernet's.  Rembrandt, 
Gerard  Dow  &  his  pupils  Mieris  and  Metsu 
please  me  more  than  any  other  artists.  In  the 


1802]  BREECHES  AND  BOOTS  39 

whole  Collection  they  have  but  one  of  Salvator's, 
but  that  one,  I  think,  is  preferable  to  all  Raphael's. 
I  have  not  yet  seen  statues  enough  to  be  judge  of 
their  beauties.  The  Apollo  of  Belvidere  &  the 
celebrated  Laocoon  lose,  therefore,  much  of  their 
Excellence  when  seen  by  me.  There  is  still  a  fine 
Collection  in  the  Palace  of  Versailles,  but  the 
view  of  that  once  Royal  Palace  excites  the  most 
melancholy  ideas.  The  furniture  was  all  sold  by 
auction,  &  nothing  is  left  but  the  walls  and  their 
pictures.  The  Gardens  are  much  neglected,  & 
will  soon,  unless  the  Consul  again  makes  it  a  royal 
residence,  be  quite  ruined.  You  have,  I  daresay, 
often  heard  that  the  Morals  &  Society  of  Paris 
were  very  bad ;  indeed,  you  have  heard  nothing  but 
the  truth.  As  for  the  men,  they  are  the  dirtiest  set 
of  fellows  I  ever  saw,  and  most  of  them,  especially 
the  Officers,  very  unlike  Gentlemen.  The  dress  of 
the  women,  with  few  exceptions,  is  highly  indecent ; 
in  London,  even  in  Drury  Lane,  I  have  seen  few 
near  so  bad.  Before  I  left  England,  I  had  heard, 
but  never  believed,  that  some  Ladies  paraded  the 
streets  in  men's  Clothes.  It  is  singular  that  in  the 
first  genteel-looking  person  I  spoke  to  in  Paris  to 
ask  my  way,  I  was  answered  by  what  I  then  per- 
ceived a  lady  in  Breeches  &  boots,  since  when  I 
have  seen  several  at  the  Theatres,  at  the  Frascati 
&  fashionable  lounges  of  the  evening,  &  in  the 
Streets  and  public  walks !  I  have  not  heard  from 
you  since  I  left  England.  Excepting  the  letter 
which  was  forwarded  from  Grosvenor  Place,  J 


40         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

hope  to  hear  at  Geneva,  where  I  shall  go  as  soon 
as  the  great  Consul  will  permit  me  by  shewing  him- 
self. The  Country  is  in  the  finest  state  possible, 
and  their  weather  most  favourable.  They  have 
had  a  scarcity  of  corn  lately,  but  the  approaching 
Harvest  will  most  assuredly  remove  that.  Adieu; 
I  hope  Mrs.  Stanley  has  already  received  a  very 
trifling  present  from  me  ;  I  only  sent  it  because 
it  was  classic  wood.  I  mean  the  necklace  made  of 
Milton's  mulberry-tree.  I  brought  the  wood  from 
Christ's  College  Garden,  in  Cambridge,  where 
Milton  himself  planted  it. 

Believe  me, 

Yours  sincerely, 

EDWD.  STANLEY. 

From  Edward  Stanley  to  his  Father  and  Mother. 

LYONS,  July  20,  1802. 

I  shall  not  write  you  a  very  long  letter  as  I 
intend  to  send  you  a  more  particular  account  of 
myself  from  Geneva,  for  which  place  we  propose 
setting  out  to-morrow,  not  by  the  Diligence,  but  by 
the  Vetturino,  a  mode  of  travelling  which,  of  course, 
you  are  well  acquainted  with,  being  the  usual  and 
almost  only  method  practised  throughout  Italy 
unless  a  person  has  his  own  carriage.  I  am  to 
pay  £$  i os.  for  ourselves  and  Suite,  but  not  includ- 
ing bed  and  provisions.  South  of  the  Alps  these 
are  agreed  for. 

After  every  endeavour  to  see  Buonaparte  had 
proved  vain,  on  the  6th  of  July  we  quitted  Paris  in 


1802]  A  CONVENT  COOK  41 

a  Cabriolet.  All  this  night,  and  especially  the  next 
day,  we  thought  we  should  be  broiled  to  death ;  the 
thermometer  was  at  95  the  noon  of  July  7th  ;  as 
you  relish  that,  you  may  have  some  idea  of  the 
Luxury  you  would  have  enjoyed  with  us. 

We  arrived  at  Troyes  on  the  evening  of  the  7th, 
an  old  town  in  Champagne.  People  civil  and 
excellent  Living,  as  the  Landlord  was  a  ci-devant 
Head  cook  to  a  convent  of  Benedictines,  but 
Hussey  and  Charles  were  almost  devoured  in  the 
Night  by  our  old  enemies  the  Bugs.  Hussey  was 
obliged  to  change  his  room  and  sleep  all  next  day. 
I  escaped  without  the  least  visit,  and  I  am  per- 
suaded that  if  a  famine  wasted  the  Bugs  of 
the  whole  Earth,  they  would  sooner  perish  than 
touch  me. 

We  left  Troyes  early  on  the  morning  of  the  gth, 
arrived  at  Chatillon  at  four,  and  stayed  there  all 
night,  for  the  Diligences  do  not  travel  so  fast  as  in 
England.  We  left  it  at  four  the  next  morning, 
Hussey,  as  usual  smarting,  and  I  very  little  re- 
freshed by  sleep,  as  owing  to  a  Compound  of  Ducks 
and  Chickens  who  kept  up  a  constant  chorus  within 
five  yards  of  my  bed,  a  sad  noise  in  the  kitchen 
from  which  I  was  barely  separated,  Dogs  barking, 
Waggon  Bells  ringing,  &c.,  I  could  scarcely  close 
my  eyes. 

At  Dijon,  beautiful  Dijon,  we  arrived  on  the 
Evening  of  the  loth.  Had  I  known  it  had  been 
so  sweet  a  Town  I  should  have  stayed  longer,  but 
we  had  taken  our  places  to  Chalons  and  were 


42         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

obliged  to  pass  on.  You,  I  believe,  staid  some 
time  there,  but,  alas !  how  different  now !  The 
Army  of  rescue  was  encamped  for  some  time  in  its 
neighbourhood,  and  the  many  respectable  families 
who  lived  in  or  near  it  rendered  it  a  sad  prey  to  the 
hand  of  Robespierre.  Its  Churches  and  Convents 
are  in  a  deplorable  state,  even  as  those  of  this  still 
more  unfortunate  Town.  The  best  Houses  are 
shut  up,  and  its  finest  Buildings  are  occupied  by 
the  Military.  We  left  on  the  morning  of  the  i  ith, 
travelled  safely  (except  a  slight  breakdown  at  our 
journey's  end)  to  Chalons  sur  Saone,  and  on  the 
nth  went  by  the  water-diligence  to  Macon,  where 
we  stopped  to  sleep.  We  arrived  at  dusk,  and  as 
we  were  in  a  dark  staircase  exploring  our  way  and 
speaking  English,  we  heard  a  voice  say,  "This 
way,  Sir;  here  is  the  supper."  We  were  quite  re- 
joiced to  hear  an  English  voice,  particularly  in  such 
a  place. 

We  soon  met  the  speaker,  and  passed  a  most 
pleasant  Hour  with  him.  He  proved  to  be  a 
Passenger  like  ourselves  in  the  Diligence  from 
Lyons  which  met  ours  here  at  the  Common  resting- 
place.  He  was  a  Surgeon  of  the  Staff,  returning 
from  Egypt,  by  name  Shute.  We  all  three  talked 
together,  and  as  loud  as  we  could  ;  the  Company,  I 
believe,  thought  us  strange  Beings.  We  told  him 
what  we  could  of  England  in  a  short  time,  he  of 
the  South,  and  we  exchanged  every  Species  of 
information,  and  were  sorry  when  it  was  necessary 
to  part. 


THE    GUILLOTINE    AT    CHALON-SUR-SOANE. 


face  p.  43. 


1802]  THE   GUILLOTINE  43 

We  arrived  at  Lyons  on  the  i4th,  the  Day  of 
the  Grand  Fete.  We  saw  the  Town  Hall  illumi- 
nated, and  a  Review  on  the  melancholy  Plains  of 
Buttereaux,  the  common  Tomb  of  so  many 
Lyonnese.  Here  we  have  remained  since,  but 
shall  probably  be  at  Geneva  on  the  23rd.  I  lodge 
at  the  Hotel  de  Pare  looking  into  the  Place  de 
Ferreant. 

The  Landlady,  to  my  great  surprise,  spoke  to 
me  in  English  very  fluently.  She  is  also  a  very 
excellent  Spaniard.  She  has  seen  better  days,  her 
husband  having  been  a  Merchant,  but  the  Revolu- 
tion destroyed  him.  She  was  Prisoner  for  some 
time  at  Liverpool,  taken  by  a  Privateer  belonging 
to  Tarleton  and  Rigge,  who,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  did 
not  behave  quite  so  handsomely  as  they  should,  the 
private  property  not  having  been  restored. 

Of  all  the  Towns  I  have  seen  this  has  suffered 
most.  All  the  Chateaux  and  Villas  in  its  most 
beautiful  Environs  are  shut  up.  The  fine  Square 
of  St.  Louis  le  Grand,  then  Belle  Cour,  now  Place 
Buonaparte,  is  knocked  to  pieces  ;  the  fine  Statue 
is  broken  and  removed,  and  nothing  left  that  could 
remind  you  of  what  it  was. 

I  have  been  witness  to  a  scene  which,  of  course, 
my  curiosity  as  a  Traveller  would  not  let  me  pass 
over,  but  which  I  hope  not  to  see  again — an 
Execution  on  the  Guillotine.  Charles  saw  a  man 
suffer  at  Chalons  ;  we  did  not  know  till  it  was  over, 
but  the  Machine  was  still  standing,  and  the  marks 
of  the  Execution  very  recent.  On  looking  out  of 


44        BEFORE   AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

my  window  the  morning  after  our  arrival  here,  I 
saw  the  dreadful  Instrument  in  the  Place  de 
Ferreant,  and  on  inquiry  found  that  five  men  were 
to  be  beheaded  in  the  morning  and  two  in  the 
evening.  They  deserved  their  fate  ;  they  had 
robbed  some  Farmhouses  and  committed  some 
cruelties.  In  England,  however,  they  would  pro- 
bably have  escaped,  as  the  evidence  was  chiefly 
presumptive.  They  were  brought  to  the  Scaffold 
from  the  Prison,  tied  each  with  his  arms  behind 
him  and  again  to  each  other ;  they  were  attended 
by  a  Priest,  not,  however,  in  black,  and  a  party 
of  soldiers.  The  time  of  execution  of  the  whole 
five  did  not  exceed  five  minutes.  Of  all  situations 
in  the  world,  I  can  conceive  of  none  half  so  terrible 
as  that  of  the  last  Prisoner.  He  saw  his  com- 
panions ascend  one  after  another,  heard  each  fatal 
blow,  and  saw  each  Body  thrown  aside  to  make 
room  for  him.  I  shall  never  forget  his  countenance 
when  he  stretched  out  his  neck  on  the  fatal  board. 
He  shut  his  eyes  on  looking  down  where  the  heads 
of  his  companions  had  fallen,  and  instantly  his  face 
turned  from  ghastly  paleness  to  a  deep  red,  and  the 
wire  was  touched  and  he  was  no  more.  Of  all 
Deaths  it  is  far  the  most  easy  ;  not  a  convulsive 
struggle  could  be  perceived  after  the  blow.  The 
sight  is  horrid  in  the  extreme,  though  not  awful,  as 
no  ceremony  is  used  to  make  it  so.  Those  who 
have  daily  seen  200  suffer  without  the  least 
ceremony  or  trial  get  hardened  to  the  sight. 
The  mode  of  Execution  in  England  is  not  so 


1802]  LYONS  45 

speedy  certainly  nor  so  horrid,  but  it  is  conducted 
with  a  degree  of  Solemnity  that  must  impress  the 
mind  most  forcibly.  I  did  not  see  the  two  who 
suffered  in  the  evening,  the  morning's  business 
was  quite  enough  to  satisfy  my  curiosity. 

The  next  Morning  I  saw  a  punishment  a  degree 
less  shocking,  though  I  think  the  Prisoner's  fate 
was  little  better  than  those  of  the  day  before.  He 
was  seated  on  a  Scaffold  in  the  same  place  for 
Public  View,  there  to  remain  for  six  hours  and 
then  to  be  imprisoned  in  irons  for  18  years,  a 
Term  (as  he  is  41)  I  think  he  will  not  survive. 

What  with  the  immediate  effects  of  the  Siege 
and  events  that  followed,  the  Town  has  suffered 
so  much  in  its  Buildings  and  inhabitants,  that  I 
think  it  will  never  recover.  The  Manufactories  of 
silk  are  just  beginning  to  shoot  up  by  slow  degrees. 
Formerly  they  afforded  employment  to  40,000 
men,  now  not  above  half  that  number  can  be 
found,  and  they  cannot  earn  so  much.  Were  I 
a  Lyonese  I  should  wish  to  plant  the  plains  of 
Buttereaux  with  cypress-trees  and  close  them  in 
with  rails.  The  Place  had  been  a  scene  of  too 
much  horror  to  remain  open  for  Public  amusement. 
The  fine  Hopital  de  la  Charite',  against  which  the 
besiegers  directed  their  heaviest  cannon  in  spite 
of  the  Black  ensign,  which  it  is  customary  to 
hoist  over  buildings  of  that  nature  during  a  Siege, 
is  much  damaged,  though  scarcely  so  much  as  I 
should  have  expected.  The  Romantic  Castle  of 
the  Pierre  Suisse  is  no  longer  to  be  found,  it  was 


46         BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

destroyed  early  in  the  troubles  together  with  most 
of  the  Roman  Antiquities  round  Lyons.  I  yester- 
day dined  with  two  more  Englishmen  at  the  Table 
d'hote ;  they  were  from  the  South ;  one,  from  his 
conversation  a  Navy  officer,  had  been  absent  seven 
years,  and  had  been  in  the  Garrison  of  Porte 
Ferrajo  in  the  Isle  of  Elba,  the  other  an  Egyp- 
tian Hero.  There  is  also  a  Colonel  from  the  same 
place  whose  name  I  know  not. 

I  heard  it  was  an  easy  thing  to  be  introduced 
to  the  Pope,1  if  letters  are  to  be  had  for  our  Minis- 
ter, whose  name  is  Fagan,  or  something  like  it. 
Now,  as  I  may  if  I  can  get  an  opportunity  when 
at  Geneva  to  pay  a  visit  to  Rome  and  Florence 
previous  to  passing  the  Pyrenees,  I  should  like 
a  letter  to  this  Mr.  Fagan,  if  one  can  be  got.  As 
Buonaparte's  Pope  is  not,  I  believe,  so  particular 
as  the  Hero  himself  with  regard  to  introductions, 
I  may  perhaps  be  presented  to  him.  I  look  for- 
ward with  inexpressible  pleasure  to  my  arrival  at 
Geneva,  to  find  myself  amongst  old  friends  and  to 
meet  with,  1  hope,  an  immense  collection  of  letters. 

The  Vineyards  promise  to  be  very  abundant ; 
of  course  we  tasted  some  of  the  best  when  in 
Burgundy  and  Champagne.  What  a  country  that 
is!  The  corn  to  the  East  of  Paris  is  not  so 
promising  as  that  in  Normandy.  The  frosts  which 
we  felt  in  May  have  extended  even  more  to  the 
South  than  to  this  Town.  The  apple-trees  of 
Normandy  have  suffered  most,  and  the  vines  in 
1  Pius  VII.,  made  Pope  in  1800. 


1802]          TRAVELLING   PHILOSOPHERS  47 

the  Northern  parts  of  France  have  also  been 
damaged.  ...  I  shall  go  from  Geneva  to  Genoa, 
and  there  hold  a  council  of  war. 

GENEVA. 

.  .  .  Between  Lyons  and  Geneva  we  supped 
with  the  Passengers  of  a  Vetturino.  Two  of  these 
were  Officers  in  the  French  Service,  one  of  them 
a  Swiss,  the  other  a  Frenchman.  The  conversa- 
tion soon  fell  upon  Politics,  in  which  I  did  not 
choose  to  join,  but  was  sufficiently  entertained  in 
hearing  the  Discourse.  Both  agreed  in  abomina- 
ting the  present  state  of  Affairs.  The  Swiss  hated 
the  Consul,  because  he  destroyed  his  Country,  the 
other  because  he  was  too  like  a  King.  Both  were 
Philosophers,  and  each  declared  himself  to  be  a 
Moralist.  The  Frenchman  was  by  far  the  most 
vehement  of  the  two,  and  the  Swiss  seemed  to 
take  much  pleasure  in  leading  him  on.  His  philo- 
sophy seemed  to  be  drawn  from  a  source  equally 
pure  with  his  Morality  ;  assuming  for  his  Motto 
his  first  and  favourite  Maxim,  "  que  tous  les 
hommes  sont  egaux  par  les  lois  de  la  Nature,"  &c., 
he  thought  himself  justified  in  wishing  Buonaparte  (I 
was  going  to  say)  at  the  Devil  (but  I  soon  found  out 
that  the  existence  of  that  Gentleman  was  a  matter 
of  great  doubt  with  the  Philosopher)  for  daring 
to  call  himself  the  Head  of  the  French  Republic. 
His  hatred  of  Power  was  only  equalled  by  his 
aversion  to  the  English,  whom  he  seemed  to  abhor 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  so  much  so,  that 


48         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

when  I  attempted  to  defend  the  First  Consul,  he 
dashed  out  with  a  Torrent  of  abuse,  and  ended 
by  saying,  "  Et  enfin  c'est  lui  qui  a  fait  la  paix 
avec  1'Angleterre." 

I  was  for  some  time  in  doubt  what  part  of 
the  Revolution  he  preferred,  but  by  defending 
Robespierre,  he  soon  gave  me  an  Idea  of  his  Love 
of  Liberty,  Morality,  Equality,  and  so  forth.  I 
was  sorry  he  retired  so  soon  after  Supper,  as  I 
never  was  more  entertained  in  my  life  in  so  short 
a  time  as  with  this  little  Fellow,  as  singular  in  his 
Figure  and  Dress  as  in  his  Manner,  and  he  con- 
trived to  be  always  eating  as  well  as  talking. 

Edward  Stanley  to  his  brother  J.    T.  Stanley. 

Argonauta,  OFF  HYERES, 

Sept.  29,  1802. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER, — Before  I  left  Geneva  I 
firmly  intended  writing  to  you,  but  as  I  left  it 
unexpectedly  and  sooner  than  I  intended  I  had 
not  time,  but  this,  and  all  my  adventures  till  I  left 
it,  I  hope  you  have  already  heard,  as  I  wrote  two 
letters,  one  to  my  Father,  the  other  to  my  Mother 
before  I  quitted  Geneva.  You  will  no  doubt  be 
Surprised,  and  perhaps  envy  my  present  situation. 
Where  do  you  think  I  am  ?  Why,  truly,  writing 
on  a  cot  between  two  24- pounders  in  a  Spanish  84. 
You  will  wonder,  I  am  sure,  at  seeing  the  date  of 
this  letter,  and  perhaps  wish  to  know  by  what  good 
fortune  I  found  a  berth  in  a  Spanish  man-of-war, 


1802]  A  VETTURINO  JOURNEY  49 

an   Event  which    I   little  expected    when    I   wrote 
last.     I    shall   begin  my  story  from    Geneva,  and 
you    shall    hear    my    adventures    to    the    present 
moment.     We    left    Geneva    in    a    Vetturino    for 
Turin,   a   Journey  which    took  up    8   days   longer 
than  it  naturally  should  have  done,  but  our  Coach- 
man   was   taken    ill,   &  we    were   on    his    account 
obliged  to  travel  slowly.     But  I  was  not  impatient, 
as  you  will    know   the    Scenery    is   beautiful ;    we 
crossed  Mount  Cenis,  which,  after  St.   Bernard's, 
cannot   be   called  a   difficult   pass.     At   Turin  we 
stayed    3    days.     It   is    now   a   melancholy  Town, 
without   commerce,  &  decreasing   daily  in  popula- 
tion.     The   celebrated    Jourdan 1    is   the    ruler   of 
the   place,    &   with    his   wife   lives    in    the    King's 
Palace.     From  Turin  we  went  to  Genoa,  passing 
through  Country  not  equal  in  Scenery,  but  infinitely 
more    interesting    than    that    between    Geneva   & 
Turin,  every  step  almost  having    been   the   scene 
of  battle,  and  every  Town  the  Object  of  a  siege. 
But  the  most  interesting  spot  of  all  was  the  plain 
of  Marengo,  near  Alessandria.     As  we  travelled  in 
the    Diligence   I   had  not  so  good  an  opportunity 
of  viewing  it  as  I  should  have  had  in  a  Vetturino, 
but  we  stopped  a  short  time  to  see  the  monument 
which    is    raised   to    commemorate  the    victory ;  it 
is   erected   near    2    remarkable   spots,    one    where 

1  General  Jourdan,  1762-1833,  Marshal.  He  fought  in  the 
Peninsular  War,  and  rallied  to  Napoleon  during  the  Hundred 
Days,  but  later  on  served  the  Bourbons  and  was  made  Governor 
of  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides  under  Louis  Philippe. 

4 


50         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Desaix l  fell,  the  other  the  House  from  which 
Buonaparte  wrote  an  account  of  the  event  to  the 
Directory. 

We  passed  also  thro'  Novi,  every  House  in 
which  is  marked  by  Shot ;  that  unfortunate  Town 
has  been  three  times  pillaged  during  the  war.  We 
arrived  at  Genoa  on  the  loth  of  Septr.,  in  my 
opinion  the  most  magnificent  Town  for  its  size  I 
ever  saw.  The  Palaces  are  beyond  conception 
beautiful,  or  rather  were,  for  the  French  Troops 
are  not  at  this  moment  admitted  within  the  Gates  ; 
they  are  quartered  in  the  Suburb  in  great  numbers. 
As  for  the  new  Government,  it  is  easily  seen  who 
is  at  the  head  of  it.  There  is  a  Doge,  to  be  sure, 
but  his  orders  come  all  from  Paris.  While  we  were 
waiting  there  expecting  a  ship  to  sail  to  Barcelona, 
the  Medusa,  English  Frigate,  came  in,  and  amongst 
its  passengers  who  came  with  her  we  found  a  Cam- 
bridge acquaintance,  who  advised  us  to  go  without 
delay  to  Leghorn  as  the  Spanish  Squadron  was 
waiting  there  for  the  King  of  Etruria2  in  order 
to  carry  him  to  Barcelona.  Fortunately  the  next 
day  an  English  Brig  was  going,  &  in  her  we  took 
our  passages  ;  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  receive 
a  large  packet  of  letters  from  England  a  few  hours 
before  she  sailed,  which  had  she  sailed  at  the  time 
the  Captain  intended  we  should  have  missed.  Will 
you  let  my  sisters  know  that  they  arrived  safe  ?  I 

1  General  Desaix;  killed  at  Marengo,  1800. 

2  Louis,  King  of  Etruria,  son  of  Ferdinand,  Duke  of  Parma 
married  Mary,  Infanta  of  Spain;  died  1803. 


1802]  BOUND  FOR  BARCELONA  51 

am  not  without  hopes  of  making  some  use  of  the 
interesting  letters  to  Italy,  tho'  I  am  now  steering 
to  the  westward.  After  a  good  passage  of  two  days 
we  arrived  at  Leghorn  and  found  the  Spaniards 
still  there.  As  soon  as  I  landed  I  delivered  a 
letter  to  a  Mr.  Callyer,  a  Liverpool  Gentleman 
who  is  settled  there,  &  by  his  means  was  intro- 
duced to  the  Admiral's  first  Lieut.,  who  promised 
to  secure  me  a  berth  in  some  of  the  ships.  In 
short,  here  I  am  in  a  very  fine  ship,  tho'  a  horrid 
sailer.  I  have  now  given  you  a  short  sketch  of  my 
tour  till  arriving  at  Leghorn  ;  I  have  only  to  say 
something  of  Leghorn  and  the  Argonauta.  The 
Town  has  suffered  very  much  by  the  war,  sup- 
ported nearly  as  it  was  by  its  Commerce  with 
England.  The  inhabitants  saw  with  little  pleasure 
a  French  army  take  possession  of  the  place  &  drive 
away  the  English.  They  still  have  a  strong  force 
in  the  town — upwards  of  2,000 — and  its  fortifica- 
tions have  been  dismantled.  It  is  singular  enough 
to  see  the  French  and  Tuscan  colours  flying  together 
on  the  same  staff.  When  we  entered  the  port  the 
Tuscan  Ensign  was  becalmed  &  the  French  flag 
was  flying  by  itself,  I  was  much  grieved  not  to  be 
able  to  visit  Florence  when  so  near  it,  but  as  the 
Squadron  was  in  daily  expectation  of  sailing  I  did 
not  venture  to  be  absent  for  4  days,  which  the 
Journey  would  have  required.  I  was  therefore 
obliged  to  content  myself  with  a  view  of  Pisa, 
which  I  would  not  have  missed  on  any  account. 
The  leaning  Tower  is  a  curiosity  in  itself  sufficient 


52         BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

to  induce  a  stranger  to  make  a  long  journey  to  visit 
it.  Here  the  King  of  Etruria  lived  and  was  hourly 
expected  to  set  out  for  Leghorn.  But  his  health, 
as  it  was  believed,  was  in  so  precarious  a  State  that 
it  was  sometimes  reported  that  he  would  not  go  at 
all.  The  Queen,  indeed,  was  in  a  very  critical  state, 
and  were  it  not  that  her  children,  she  being  an 
Infanta  of  Spain,  are  entitled  to  a  certain  sum  of 
money  by  no  means  small,  provided  they  were  born 
in  Spain,  it  would  have  been  madness  in  her  to 
have  undertaken  the  voyage ;  indeed,  I  think  it 
highly  probable  that  a  young  Prince  will  make 
his  appearance  ere  we  arrive  at  Barcelona.  After 
having  spent  a  longer  time  than  I  liked  at  Leg- 
horn, which  has  nothing  curious  to  recommend  it, 
at  length  it  was  given  out  that  on  the  26th  the  K. 
would  certainly  arrive  from  Pisa  and  embark  as 
soon  as  possible.  Accordingly  at  6  o'Clock  on  that 
day  all  the  houses  were  ornamented  in  the  Italian 
style  by  a  display  of  different  coloured  Streamers, 
etc.,  from  the  windows,  &  His  Majesty  entered 
the  Town.  Had  I  been  a  King  I  should  have 
been  not  altogether  pleased  with  my  reception. 
He  appeared  in  the  Balcony  of  the  Grand  Duke's 
Palace,  no  one  cried,  "Viva  Ludovico  I!"  He 
went  to  the  Theatre  the  same  Evening,  which 
was  illuminated  on  the  occasion,  &,  of  course, 
much  crowded.  I  do  not  think  our  opera  could 
have  boasted  a  finer  display  of  Diamonds  than  I 
saw  that  Evening  in  the  Ladies'  heads,  but,  be  it 
remembered,  that  there  are  7,000  Jews  in  Leghorn, 


1802]        ON   BOARD   THE   ARGONAUTA  53 

not  one  of  whom  is  poor ;  some  are  reported  to  be 
worth  a  million.  Many  of  the  Italians  are  also 
very  rich.  Next  day  we  were  informed  that  it 
was  necessary  to  repair  on  board  our  ship,  as  the 
King  was  to  go  early  on  the  2Oth.  The  Naval 
Scene  received  an  addition  on  26th  by  the  arrival 
of  2  French  frigates  from  Porto  Ferrajo.  They 
had  carried  a  fresh  garrison  there  &  landed  500 
men  of  the  former  one  at  Leghorn  ;  they  marched 
immediately,  as  it  was  said,  to  garrison  Florence. 
On  the  27th  the  Spaniards  and  French,  the  only 
ships  of  war  in  the  roads,  saluted,  were  manned 
and  dressed.  At  Eleven  o'Clock  of  the  27th  (after 
having  again  seen  the  K.  at  the  Opera)  in  the 
Launch  of  the  Argonauta  we  left  Leghorn  & 
went  on  board,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  to 
spend  I  hope  many  days  in  so  large  a  ship. 
She  was  one  of  that  unfortunate  Squadron  which 
came  forth  from  Cadiz  to  convey  home  Adi. 
Linois  r  &  his  prize  the  Hannibal,  after  our  unsuc- 
cessful attack  in  Algeciras  bay.  This  Ship  suffered 
little  ;  she  was  then  a  better  sailer  than  she  is  now, 

1  Comte  de  Linois,  1761-1848.  On  June  13,  1801,  he,  with 
three  ships,  defeated  six  British  ships  in  Algeciras  Bay,  and  being 
protected  by  the  Spanish  batteries,  he  forced  the  British  admiral 
to  retreat,  leaving  the  Hannibal  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  In 
recognition  of  this  triumph  Linois  received  a  sword  of  honour 
from  Napoleon.  The  English  fleet  avenged  this  disaster  on 
July  12,  1 80 1,  when  the  Spanish  and  French  squadrons  set 
out  from  Cadiz  with  the  captured  Hannibal  and  Admiral 
Saumarez  forced  the  combined  fleets  to  retire  shattered  into 
harbour  again. 


54         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

or  most  probably  she  would  not  be  at  present  in 
the  Service  of  Spain.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th  the  Marines  were  on  the  deck.  It  blew  fresh 
from  the  shore,  &  it  was  doubted  whether  the  K. 
would  venture;  at  8  o'Clock,  however,  the  Royal 
barge  was  seen  coming  out  of  the  Mole.  The 
Admiral's  Ship,  La  Reyna  Louisa,  gave  the 
signal  &  at  the  instant  Every  Ship  fired  3  royal 
salutes.  The  Effect  was  very  beautiful ;  we  were 
the  nearest  to  the  Admiral,  nearer  the  land  were 
the  2  other  Spanish  frigates,  &  abreast  of  us  the 
two  French  Ships.  They  were  all  dressed,  and 
as  the  King  passed  near  them  they  were  manned 
and  three  cheers  were  given.  The  King's  boat 
came  first,  then  the  Queen's.  After  them  fol- 
lowed the  Consuls  of  the  different  Nations  who 
were  at  Leghorn,  &  after  them  a  boat  from  each 
of  the  Ships.  There  were  besides  a  great  number 
of  other  boats  &  Ships  sailing  about.  Soon  after 
the  King  had  arrived  on  board  the  Reyna  Louisa, 
of  1 20  guns,  the  Signal  was  made  for  preparing  to 
Sail,  &  soon  after  the  Signal  for  Sailing.  We  all 
got  under  weigh,  but  as  our  Ship  was  a  bad  sailer 
we  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  ourselves  left  far 
behind  in  a  short  time.  We  have  had  nothing  but 
light  winds  ever  since,  &  for  the  last  two  days  con- 
trary, but  I  am  not  in  the  smallest  degree  impatient 
to  get  to  Barcelona.  The  Novelty  of  Scene,  more 
especially  as  it  is  a  naval  one,  pleases  me  more 
than  anything  I  have  met  with  hitherto.  We  are, 
however,  now  (Oct.  3rd)  looking  out  for  land. 


1802]  SPANISH  DISCIPLINE  55 

Cape  Sebastian  will  be  the  point  we  shall  first 
see  in  Spain,  &  I  much  fear  that  to-morrow  night 
I  shall  sleep  in  Barcelona.  Of  the  Discipline  of  the 
Spanish  Navy  I  cannot  say  much,  nor  can  I  praise 
their  cleanliness.  I  wish  much  to  see  a  storm. 
How  they  manage  then  I  do  not  know,  for  when 
it  blows  hard  the  sailors  will  not  go  aloft ;  as  for 
the  officers  or  Midshipmen,  they  never  think  of  it. 
Indeed,  the  latter  live  exactly  as  well  as  the  officers; 
they  mess  with  them,  have  as  good  berths,  &  are 
as  familiar  with  them  as  they  are  with  each  other  ; 
very  different  in  every  respect  from  the  discipline 
in  English  Men  of  War.  I  shall  write  another 
letter  to  my  sisters  by  this  post ;  as  they  are  at 
Highlake  you  may  exchange  letters.  Soon  I  shall 
write  to  you  again.  I  have  to  thank  you  for  a  very 
long  letter  which  I  received  at  Geneva,  chiefly 
relating  to  the  proper  judgement  of  paintings.  I 
am  not  yet  quite  a  convert,  but  experience  may 
improve  me.  In  Spain  I  understand  I  shall  see 
some  very  good  ones  by  the  first  masters.  I  fear 
much  that  my  desire  of  visiting  Spain  will  not  be 
so  keen  as  it  was  when  I  have  seen  a  very  little 
of  it.  By  all  accounts,  even  from  Spaniards  them- 
selves, travelling  is  very  inconvenient,  &  what  is 
infinitely  worse,  very  expensive  ;  added  to  which 
the  intolerable  Suspicion  &  care  of  the  Government 
renders  any  stay  there  very  unpleasant.  In  case  I 
find  myself  not  at  my  ease  there  I  shall,  when  at 
Gibraltar,  take  a  passage  back  to  Italy,  for  Rome 
&  Naples  must  be  seen.  Now  I  think  of  it  I  must 


56         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

mention  one  ship  well  known  to  you  which  I  saw 
at  Leghorn,  namely,  the  John  of  Leith.  I  acci- 
dentally saw  her  boat  with  the  name  written ;  you 
may  be  sure  I  looked  at  her  with  no  small  pleasure.1 
When  I  sought  for  her  next  day  she  was  gone.  I 
little  thought  when  I  last  saw  you  to  see  a  ship 
in  which  you  had  spent  so  much  time,  up  the 
Mediterranean.  I  am  learning  Spanish  at  present, 
&  the  progress  I  have  made  in  it  is  not  the  least 
pleasure  I  have  received  during  my  stay  in  the 
Argonauta.  It  is  a  language  extremely  difficult 
to  understand  when  spoken,  but  easy  to  read,  & 
very  fine.  I  can  already  understand  an  easy  book. 
If  I  can  add  Spanish  &  Italian,  or  some  knowledge 
of  those  languages,  to  my  stock,  I  shall  consider 
my  time  and  money  as  well  spent,  independent  of 
the  Countries  I  shall  have  seen.  Before  I  close 
this  letter,  which  you  will  receive  long  after  its 
original  date,  I  must  tell  you  I  have  been  making 
a  most  interesting  visit  to  the  celebrated  Lady  of 
Mont  Serrat,2  &  was  even  permitted  to  kiss  her 
hand,  an  honour  which  few,  unless  well  recom- 
mended, enjoy.  I  have  not  time  to  say  so  much 
of  it  as  I  could,  I  can  only  assure  you  that  it  fully 
answered  the  expectations  I  had  raised.  The  sin- 
gular Scenery  and  the  more  singular  Customs  of 

1  The  vessel  in  which  Edward  Stanley's  elder  brother  John  had 
made  his  Icelandic  Expedition,  1788. 

2  A  famous  image  of  the  Virgin,  said   to  have  been   found 
A.D.  880  on  a  mountain  of  Catalonia,  and  in  honour  of  which 
a  magnificent  church  was   built  by  Philip  II.  and   Philip  III. 
of  Spain. 


1803]  "A  VILE  TARTAN"  57 

its  solitary  inhabitants,  excepting  the  monks  of  the 
convent,  who  lead  a  most  merry,  sociable  life,  are 
well  worth  the  trouble  of  going  some  distance  to 
visit.  The  formation  of  the  mountain  is  also  very 
extraordinary.  Entirely  pudding  stone,  chiefly  cal- 
carious,  some  small  parts  of  quartz,  red  granite,  & 
flint  only  to  be  found.  I  have  preserved  some 
pieces  for  your  museum,  which  I  hope  will  arrive 
safe  in  England,  as  also  the  small  collection  of 
stones  which  I  sent  from  the  Alps. 

Yours  sincerely, 

.  EDWD.  STANLEY. 

MALAGA,  Jan.,  1803. 

MY  DEAR  FATHER, — To  this  place  am  I  once 
more  returned,  after  having  made  an  excursion  to 
the  far-famed  city  of  Granada  and  still  more  re- 
nowned palace  of  the  Alhambra.  My  last  letter 
was  dated  from  Gibraltar  on  the  i7th  of  Deer. 
We  left  the  Rock  in  a  Vile  Tartan,1  rendered  still 
less  agreeable  by  belonging  to  Spaniards,  who,  at  no 
time  remarkable  for  cleanliness,  were  not  likely  to 
exert  themselves  in  that  point  in  a  small  trading 
Vessel.  We  were  crowded  with  Passengers  and 
empty  Casks — both  Equally  in  the  Way ;  tho'  the 
latter  were  not  then  noisy  nor  Sick,  I  considered 
them  as  the  least  nuisance.  Fortunately  a  strong 
W.  Breeze  soon  carried  us  from  the  Rock,  and  in 
one  night  we  found  ourselves  close  to  the  Mole  of 
Malaga.  We  introduced  ourselves  on  landing  to 

1   Tartana — a  vessel  peculiar  to  the  Mediterranean. 


58         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

the  English  Consul  Laird,  to  whose  attentions  we 
have  been  since  much  indebted.  On  the  2nd 
day  after  our  arrival  we  heard  of  a  Muleteer  who 
was  on  his  return  to  Granada,  and  with  whom  we 
agreed  for  3  Mules.  The  distance  is  18  leagues 
over  the  Mountains,  a  Journey  of  3  days  ;  this  is 
a  Country  wild  as  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  and 
in  parts,  if  possible,  more  barren.  The  first  night 
we  slept  at  Vetey  Malaga  and  the  2nd  at  Alhama, 
a  Town  famous  for  its  hot  baths,  which,  thanks 
to  the  Moors — who  built  walls  about  them — the 
Spaniards  still  enjoy.  The  accommodations  in  the 
Country  are  rather  inferior  to  those  of  England, 
tho'  perhaps  you  may  consider  me  so  prejudiced  in 
favour  of  my  own,  and  therefore  unjust  in  my 
accounts  of  other  Countries.  This  may  be  the 
Case,  and  I  dare  say  a  Muleteer  would  find  infinite 
fault  with  an  English  Inn,  where  accommodation 
may  be  found  for  the  Rider  as  well  as  the  Mule. 
On  entering  one  of  these  Ventas,  or  Inns,  you  find 
yourself  in  the  Midst  of  Jack  Asses  and  Mules,  the 
necks  of  which,  being  usually  adorned  with  bells, 
produce  a  Music  highly  entertaining  to  a  traveller 
after  a  long  day's  Journey  over  these  delightful 
roads.  If  you  can  force  your  way  through  this 
Crowd  of  Musical  Quadrupeds  it  is  necessary  that 
you  should  attempt  to  find  out  the  Landlord  and 
petition  for  a  room,  which  in  general  may  be  had, 
and  if  you  are  fortunate,  Mattrasses  are  laid  on  the 
floor.  Eating,  however,  is  always  out  of  the 
question.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  carry 


1803]        "MONUMENTS  OF  MORTALITY"  59 

your  own  Stock  and  look  for  your  self  if  a  frying 
Pan  can  be  found.  If  you  are  very  much  tired  and 
the  Bugs,  Mosquitos,  Fleas,  and  other  insects  (sent 
into  the  World,  I  believe,  to  torment  Mankind)  are 
also  tired  or  satiated  with  sucking  the  Blood  from  the 
Travellers  the  preceding  night,  you  may  chance  to 
sleep  till  3  o'clock  in  the  Morning,  when  the 
Carriers  begin  to  load  their  beasts  and  prepare  for 
the  day's  Journey.  The  pleasure  of  travelling  is 
also  considerably  diminished  by  the  numbers  of 
Crosses  by  the  road  side,  which,  being  all  stuck  up 
wherever  a  murder  has  been  committed,  are  very 
unpleasant  hints,  and  you  are  constantly  put  in 
mind  of  your  latter  End  by  these  confounded 
Monuments  of  Mortality.  Fortunately,  we  met 
with  no  Tromboners  on  the  road,  and  hitherto  we 
have  saved  the  Country  the  Expence  of  Erecting 
3  Crosses  on  our  account.  At  last  we  arrived  at 
Granada,  the  3rd  Town  in  Spain  in  Extent,  being 
surpassed  only  by  Seville  and  Toledo.  You  will, 
I  suppose,  expect  a  long  account  of  the  Alhambra 
and  Romantic  Gardens  of  the  Generalife,  a  minute 
account  of  the  curiosities  in  the  City  and  a  long 
string  of  etceteras  relative  to  the  place.  You  must, 
however,  remain  in  ignorance  of  all  these  things  till 
we  meet,  as  at  present  I  have  neither  time  or 
inclination  or  paper  sufficient  to  repeat  my  adven- 
tures and  observations  :  suffice  it  to  say  that  on  the 
whole  I  was  much  disappointed  both  with  the 
Alhambra  and  Granada,  which  are  I  cannot  say  last- 
ing Monuments,  for  they  are  falling  fast  to  ruin.  Of 


60         BEFORE   AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

the  Indolence  and  negligence  of  the  people,  you  will 
scarcely  believe  that  so  large  a  Town  so  near  the 
sea,  and  situated  in  one  of  the  finest  vales  in  Spain, 
is  almost  without  Trade  of  any  Sort — neither 
troubling  itself  with  importations  or  exerting  its 
powers  to  provide  Materials  for  Exportation.  The 
Capt.  Genl.,  however,  is  doing  all  he  can  to  restore 
it  to  its  former  dignity,  and  were  he  well  seconded, 
Granada  might  again  hope  to  become  one  of  the 
brightest  ornaments  of  Spain.  We  returned  by 
way  of  Loja  and  Antiquiera  on  the  27th  of  Deer., 
and  have  been  wind  bound  ever  since,  and  likely  to 
be  for  another  Month — sure  never  was  a  wind  so 
obstinate  as  the  present.  We  have  here,  I  believe, 
quite  formed  a  party  to  visit  another  quarter  of  the 
Globe — a  short  trip  to  Africa  is  at  present  in  agita- 
tion. A  Capt.  Riddel  from  Gibraltar  is  one  of  the 
promoters,  and  if  we  can  get  to  Gibraltar  in  any 
decent  time  you  may  possibly  in  my  next  letter 
hear  some  account  of  the  Good  Mahometans  at 
Tangiers.  We  are  but  to  make  a  short  Stay  and 
carry  our  Guns  and  dogs,  as  we  are  told  the 
Country  is  overrun  with  game  of  every  sort.  I 
have  been  most  agreeably  surprised  in  finding 
Malaga  a  very  pleasant  place :  we  have  met  with 
more  attention  and  seen  more  Company  here  than  we 
ever  did  in  Barcelona.  I  am  this  Evening  going  to 
a  Ball;  unfortunately  Fandangos  are  not  fashion- 
able dances,  but  they  have  another  called  the 
Bolero,  which  in  grace  and  Elegance  stands  un- 
rivalled, but  would  scarcely  be  admitted  in  the  less 


1803]  STORMS   AND   GALES  61 

licentious  circles  of  our  N.  Climate.  I  shall  take 
lessons  at  Cadiz,  and  hope  to  become  an  adept  in 
all  those  dances  before  I  see  you.  If  you  write 
within  a  fortnight — and  of  course  you  will  after 
receiving  this — you  may  still  direct  to  Cadiz. 
There  has  been  a  disturbance  at  Gibraltar,  which 
was  hatching  when  we  were  there,  and  during  our 
absence  has  Broken  out.  The  many  strange  reports 
and  particulars  which  have  reached  Malaga — as  I 
cannot  vouch  for  their  truth,  I  shall  not  Mention  ; 
the  Grand  point,  however,  was  to  put  his  Royal  H. 
on  board  of  a  Ship  and  send  him  back  to  England. 
There  has  been  also  a  desperate  gale  of  Wind  in 
the  Straights — 3  Portuguese  Frigates,  one  with 
the  loss  of  her  rudder,  were  blown  in  here.  Some 
Vessels,  I  understand,  were  also  lost  at  the  Rock. 
I  hope  our  little  brig,  ye  Corporation,  with  the 
young  pointers  has  arrived  in  the  Thames  in  spite 
of  the  constant  Gales  and  contrary  Winds  which 
we  met  with.  I  was  sorry  when  the  Wind  became 
fair  and  the  Rock  appeared  ahead.  My  taste  for 
salt  Water  is  not  at  all  diminished  by  Experience. 
It  is  no  doubt  a  strange  one,  but  there  is  no  account- 
ing for  these  things,  you  know.  Malaga  is  warm 
enough — we  have  Green  Peas  and  Asparagus  every 
day.  But  we  experienced  very  severe  Weather  at 
Granada — Frost  and  Snow.  The  baths  of  the 
Alhambra  were  even  covered  with  Ice  an  Inch 
Thick.  Adieu !  this  is  Post  Day. 

Loves  to  all, 

Yours  Sincerely, 

E.  S. 


62         BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

GIBRALTAR,  Jan.  22,  1803. 

MY  DEAR    BROTHER, — I    promised   in    my   last, 
which  I  wrote  when  I  was  on  the  point  of  Setting 
out  on  a  tour  to  Granada,  to  write  again  and  give 
some  account  of  myself  immediately  on  my  return, 
which  was  delayed  on  account  of  Sundry  unfortunate 
Circumstances  till  the  day  before  yesterday.     From 
Malaga  I  wrote  to  my  Father,  and  you  probably 
have   heard   that  a  fair  wind  carried  us  in  a  vile 
vessel  from  this  place  to  Malaga  in  one  night,  from 
whence,  staying  as  Short  a  time  as  possible,  I  set 
out  on  mules  to  Granada,  distant  a  journey  of  three 
days.     Till  this  time  I  had  never,  excepting  from 
hearsay,  formed  a  true  idea  of  the   perfection   to 
which  travelling  in  Spain  could  be  carried,  and  yet, 
bad  as  it  was,  my  return  to  land  from  Gibraltar  has 
shown  that  things  might  be  a  degree  worse.     Of 
the  roads  I   can  only  say  that  most  probably  the 
Spaniards  are   indebted   to    the    Moors    for    first 
marking  them  out,  and  that  the  present  race  follow 
the   steps   of    their   Ancestors,    without    troubling 
themselves    with    repairs    or    alterations    of    any 
description.      You    may    well    then    imagine    the 
delicate    State    in    which    they    now    are.      The 
Ventas   or    Inns   are   in  a  State   admirably   corre- 
sponding  to   that   of    the   high-roads.     Provisions 
of  every  sort  must    necessarily  be    carried    unless 
the  traveller  wishes  to  fast ;  beds  are  occasionally, 
and  indeed  I  may  say  pretty  generally,  to  be  met 
with,   such   as    they    are  ;   of  course,    bugs,    fleas, 
Mosquitos,    and  so  forth  must  not  be  considered: 


1803]  GRANADA  63 

they  are  plentifully  diffused  over  the  Country,  and 
are  by  no  means  confined  to  the  inferior  houses. 
With  a  Substitution  for  "  Pallida  Mors "  the 
quotation  from  Horace  may  with  truth  be  applied, 
"  aequo  pulsant  pede  pauperum  tabernae,  Regum 
turres."  We  passed  thro'  Alhama,  near  which  are 
some  very  fine  hot  baths  ;  the  exact  heat  I  could  not 
ascertain  (as  my  thermometer  was  actually  jolted 
to  pieces  tho'  in  its  case  in  my  pocket,  travelling 
from  Turin  to  Genoa),  but  it  is  so  great  that  I  could 
scarcely  keep  my  hand  immersed  for  a  minute.  In 
another  Country  they  would  be  much  frequented  ;  as 
it  is  there  are  only  some  miserable  rooms  for  those 
who  repair  to  them  from  necessity.  On  the  evening 
of  the  2ist  of  December  we  arrived  at  our  Journey's 
end,  and  found,  what  we  did  not  expect,  a  very 
tolerable  Inn,  though  as  Granada  is  considered  the 
third  Town  in  Spain,  those  who  are  unacquainted 
with  the  country  might  expect  a  better.  I  have  so 
much  to  say  that  I  cannot  enter  into  a  minute 
account  of  the  famous  Palace  of  the  Alhambra 
and  other  Curiosities  in  the  Town,  which  is  most 
beautifully  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  snow- 
covered  Mountains  at  the  extremity  of  what  is  said 
to  be  the  most  luxuriant  and  delightful  valley  in 
Spain.  I  hope  for  the  credit  of  the  Inhabitants 
that  it  is  not  so,  as  certainly  it  is  in  a  disgraceful 
state  of  Cultivation,  and  were  it  not  for  the  Acque- 
ducts  erected  by  the  Moors  for  the  convenience  of 
watering  the  land  would,  I  fear,  in  a  few  years  be 
burnt  up  by  the  intense  heat  of  summer.  Its  chief 


64         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

produce  is  Corn  and  oil  ;  silk  and  Wine  are  also 
cultivated,  but  the  cold  of  winter  sometimes  injures 
the  two  latter.     The  place  is  badly  peopled  and  has 
no  trade ;  it  is  chiefly  supported  by  being  the  chief 
criminal  port  of  Spain,  and  the  richest  people  are 
consequently  the  Lawyers.     We  saw  the  baths  of 
Alhambra  in  a  state  very  different  from  what  they 
usually  are — actually  frozen  over  and  the  Ice  nearly 
an  Inch  thick.    I  must  say  I  was  greatly  disappointed 
with  these  famed  remains  of  Moorish  Magnificence, 
tho'  certainly  when  everything  was  kept  in  order, 
the  fountains  all  playing,  it  must  have  been  very 
different ;  at  present  it  is  falling  fast  to  ruin.     The 
Governor   is   a   man   appointed   by  the  Prince   of 
Peace,1  and  I  believe  would  be  unwilling  to  bestow 
any  attention  on  anything  in  the  world  but  his  own 
person,  of  which  by  all  accounts  he  takes  special 
care.     We  returned  to  Malaga  through   Loja  and 
Antequerra,  both   Moorish  towns.     At  Malaga  we 
were  detained  by  Contrary  winds  for  three  weeks ; 
we  might,  indeed,  have  passed  our  time  less  advan- 
tageously at  other  places,  as  we  experienced  much 
unexpected  Civility  &  saw  a  great  deal  of  Spanish 
Society.    Wearied  at  length  with  waiting  for  Winds, 
we  determined  to  set  out  on  our  return  to  the  Rock 
by    land,    and    accordingly   hired    4    horses,    and, 
under  the  most  favourable  auspices,    left    Malaga. 
We  soon  found  that  even  a  Spanish  sky  could  not 
be  trusted  ;  it  began  before  we  had  completed  half 
our  first  day's  journey  to  pour  with  rain.     To  return 
1  Emanuel  Godoy,  favourite  Minister  of  Charles  IV.  of  Spain. 


1803]  MUD  AND  MULETEERS  65 

was  impossible,  as  we  had  forded  the  first  river. 
In  short,  for  three  days  we  suffered  Every  Incon- 
venience which  can  be  conceived,  but  were  still 
to  meet  with  another  disappointment,  for  on  the 
Morning  of  the  day  in  which  we  had  certainly 
calculated  to  arrive  at  Gibraltar  we  came  to  a  River 
which  was  so  much  swelled  that  the  Boatman  could 
not  ferry  us  over.  Nearly  a  hundred  Muleteers  and 
others  were  in  the  same  predicament,  and  we  had 
the  satisfaction  of  passing  two  most  miserable  days 
in  a  horrid  Cortigo,  a  house  of  accommodation  a 
degree  lower  than  a  Venta.  Our  provisions  were 
exhausted,  and  nothing  but  bread  and  water  were 
to  be  met  with.  Beds,  of  course,  or  a  room  of  any 
sort  were  unobtainable.  Conceive  to  yourself  a 
kitchen  filled  with  smoke,  without  windows,  in  which 
were  huddled  together  about  forty  of  the  lowest 
order  of  Spaniards.  As  it  poured  with  rain  we 
could  not  stir  out,  and  as  for  staying  within  doors  it 
was  scarcely  possible.  If  we  tried  to  sleep  we  were 
instantly  covered  with  fleas  and  other  insects  equally 
partial  to  a  residence  on  the  human  body.  After 
two  days'  penance,  as  the  waters  began  to  abate,  we 
determined  to  cross  the  river  in  a  small  boat  and 
proceed  on  foot,  which  we  did,  and  though  we  had 
to  skip  thro'  2  or  3  horrible  streams  and  wade  thro' 
Mud  and  Marshes  we  performed  the  journey  lightly, 
as  anything  was  bearable  after  the  Cortigo  del  rio 
Zuariano.  We  passed  through  St.  Roque  and  the 
Spanish  lines  and  arrived  at  Gibralter  on  2Oth,  out 
of  patience  with  the  Spaniards  and  everything 

5 


66         BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

belonging  to  Spain.  Indeed,  the  Country  is  a 
disgrace  to  Europe.  I  wish  indolence  was  the  only 
vice  of  the  inhabitants,  but  added  to  laziness  they 
are  in  general  mean  in  their  ideas,  the  women 
licentious  in  their  manners,  and  both  sexes  san- 
guinary to  a  degree  scarcely  credible.  In  Malaga 
particularly,  few  nights  pass  without  some  murders. 
Those  who  have  any  regard  for  their  safety  must 
after  dark  carry  a  sword  and  a  lantern.  You  may 
form  some  idea  of  the  people  when  there  was  one 
fellow  at  Granada  who  had  with  his  own  hand 
committed  no  less  than  22  Murders.  Nothing  could 
be  more  gratifying  to  an  Englishman  than  finding 
wherever  he  goes  the  manufactures  of  his  own 
Country.  This  in  Spain  is  particularly  the  case  ;  there 
is  scarcely  a  single  article  of  any  description  which 
this  people  can  make  for  themselves,  consequently 
English  goods  are  sure  of  meeting  with  a  quick 
sale.  Perhaps  it  may  be  from  prejudice,  but  cer- 
tainly the  idea  I  had  of  England  before  I  left  it  has 
been  raised  many  degrees  since  I  have  had  an 
opportunity  of  comparing  it  with  other  countries. 
But  now  for  some  news  respecting  Gibraltar  itself, 
which  has  during  my  absence  been  a  scene  of 
Confusion,  first  by  a  dreadful  gale  of  wind,  and 
secondly  from  a  much  more  serious  cause,  a  spirit 
of  Mutiny  in  the  Garrison.  By  the  former  16 
or  1 8  vessels  were  either  lost  or  driven  on  shore ; 
by  the  latter  some  lives  were  sacrificed  before 
tranquillity  was  restored,  and  3  men  have  since 
suffered  death  by  the  Verdict  of  a  Court  Martial. 


1803]  GIBRALTAR  MUTINEERS  67 

No  doubt  you  will  see  something  of  it  in  the  papers  ; 
I  cannot  now  enter  into  a  detail  as  it  would  take 
some  time.  The  2  Regts.  principally,  and  I  believe 
I  may  say  only,  concerned  were  the  Royals,  which 
is  the  Duke's1  own  Regt.,  and  the  25th ;  fortunately 
they  did  not  act  in  concert.  The  other  Regts.  of 
the  Garrison,  the  2nd,  8th,  23rd,  and  54th,  parti- 
cularly the  latter,  behaved  well.  The  design  was 
to  seize  the  Duke  and  put  him  on  board  a  ship  and 
send  him  to  England.  He  is  disliked  on  account 
of  his  great  severity  :  whether  he  carries  discipline 
to  an  unnecessary  degree  military  men  know  better 
than  myself.  Despatches  have  been  sent  to 
England,  and  I  believe  some  of  the  men  concerned  ; 
the  greatest  anxiety  prevails  to  know  what  answers 
or  orders  will  be  returned.  Of  War  and  the  rumours 
of  War,  tho'  we  it  seems  are  nearer  the  scene  of 
action  than  those  who  dwell  at  home,  little  is  known, 
and  what  little  is  seems  to  be  more  inclined  to  peace 
than  the  English  papers  allow.  It  is  here  said,  on 
what  grounds  I  know  not,  that  the  Spaniards  have 
entirely  ceded  Minorca  to  their  good  neighbours 
the  French.  We  have  but  a  small  Naval  force 

1  H.R.H.  Edward,  Duke  of  Kent ;  appointed  Governor  of 
Gibraltar,  1802.  In  order  to  establish  strict  discipline  in  the 
garrison,  which  he  found  in  a  very  demoralised  state,  he  issued 
a  general  order  forbidding  any  private  soldiers  to  enter  the  wine 
shops,  half  of  which  he  closed  at  a  personal  sacrifice  of  ,£4,000 
a  year  in  licensing  fees.  In  consequence,  a  mutiny  broke  out 
on  Christmas  Eve,  1802.  Though  the  mutiny  was  quelled,  the 
Home  Government  did  not  support  the  Duke,  who  was  recalled 
in  March,  1803. 


68         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

in  the  bay  ;  and  a  few  frigates  and  ships  of  war, 
one  of  the  latter  the  Bittern,  I  believe,  arrived 
yesterday  from  England,  but  without  any  par- 
ticular news.  Many  gun  boats  were  fitting  out  at 
Malaga,  but  I  was  informed  they  were  only  meant 
for  "  Guarda  Costas,"  which  may  or  not  be  the 
truth.  We  sailed  for  Cadiz  the  moment  an  E.  wind 
would  give  us  leave  ;  it  has  now  blown  almost  con- 
stantly a  W.  wind  for  three  months,  and  the  season 
has  been  remarkably  wet.  I  am  impatient  to  get 
to  Cadiz  as  I  expect  certainly  to  find  letters,  the 
receipt  of  which  from  home  is,  I  think,  the  greatest 
pleasure  a  traveller  can  experience.  Of  Louisa's  l 
marriage  I  have  as  yet  not  heard,  tho'  no  doubt, 
however,  it  has  taken  place.  How  are  my  Nephews 
and  Nieces  ?  I  do  indeed  look  forward  with  pleasure 
to  my  next  visit  to  Alderley.  Remember  it  is  now 
nearly  2  years  since  I  have  seen  you  ;  how  many 
things  have  happened  in  the  time  to  yours  most 
sincerely 

EDWD.  STANLEY. 

Edward  Stanley  to  his  brother  /.    7!  Stanley. 

GIBRALTAR,  January  16,  1803. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER,—  .  .  I  shall  pass  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  rest  of  your  long  letter  &  proceed 
without  further  delay  to  talk  of  myself.  The  last 
time  you  heard  from  me  I  think  was  soon  after  I 

1  Edward  Stanley's  sister,  Louisa;  m.,  November,    1802,   to 
Sir  Baldwin  Leighton,  Bart.,  of  Loton,  Shropshire. 


1803]        THE   WANT  OF  A  RED  COAT  69 

arrived  in  Barcelona  ;  what  occurred  during  my  stay 
there  you  have  most  probably  heard  from  my  sisters, 
as  I  wrote  to  Highlake  just  before  I  left  that  place. 
I  consider  myself  as  extremely  fortunate  in  being 
at  Barcelona  during  a  time  when  I  had  a  better 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  Court  of  Spain  and  the 
different  amusements  of  the  Country  than  I  could 
have  witnessed  by  a  much  longer  residence  even  in 
Madrid  itself.  I  was,  however,  unfortunately  only 
a  Spectator ;  as  no  regular  English  Consul  had 
arrived  in  Barcelona,  I  had  no  opportunity  of  being 
introduced  either  at  Court  or  in  the  first  Circles. 
Another  difficulty  also  was  in  my  way  ;  unfortunately 
I  was  not  in  the  Army  &  consequently  had  no 
uniform,  without  which  or  a  Court  dress  no  person 
is  considered  as  a  Gentleman  in  this  Country.  I 
have  repeatedly  regretted  that  before  I  left  Eng- 
land I  did  not  put  my  name  down  on  some 
Military  list,  &  under  cover  of  a  red  Coat  procure 
an  undisputed  right  to  the  title  of  Gentleman  in 
Spain. 

As  for  the  people,  both  noble  and  vulgar,  it 
requires  but  a  very  short  residence  amongst  them 
to  be  highly  disgusted  ;  few  receive  any  thing  which 
deserves  the  name  of  a  regular  Education,  &  I 
have  been  told  from,  I  believe,  undoubted  Authority, 
that  a  nobleman  unable  to  write  his  name,  or  even 
read  his  own  pedigree,  is  by  no  means  a  difficult 
thing  to  meet  with.  The  Government  is  in  such  a 
State  that  ere  long  it  must  fall,  I  should  think.  The 
King  is  entirely  under  the  power  of  the  Prince  of 


70         BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Peace,1  a  man  who  from  being  a  common  Corps  de 
Garde  has  risen  by  degrees,  &  being  naturally 
ambitious  &  extremely  avaricious  has  gained  a 
rank  inferior  only  to  that  of  the  King,  &  a  fortune 
which  makes  him  not  only  the  richest  man  in  Spain 
but  probably  in  Europe.  He  is  disliked  by  every 
Class  of  people,  &  it  is  not,  I  believe,  without  good 
ground  that  he  is  considered  as  little  better  than  a 
tool  of  Buonaparte's. 

The  conduct  of  France  to  Spain  in  many  particu- 
lars, which  are  too  numerous  now  to  mention,  shews 
in  what  a  degraded  state  the  latter  is — how 
totally  unable  to  act  or  even  think  for  herself.  One 
instance  I  need  only  mention,  tho'  I  do  not  vouch  for 
the  truth  of  it,  further  than  as  being  a  report  current 
in  the  Garrison.  The  French  have  kindly  offered 
to  send  4,000  troops  to  Minorca  in  order  to  take 
care  of  it  for  yr  good  friends  the  Spaniards,  and  a 
Squadron  is  fitting  out  at  Toulon  to  carry  them 
there.  After  your  alarming  account  of  the  naval 
preparations  in  the  three  kingdoms  you  will  expect 
that  I,  who  am  here  in  the  centre  of  everything, 
should  be  able  to  tell  you  a  great  deal  ;  you  will, 
therefore,  be  surprised  when  you  are  informed  that 
yours  is  almost  the  only  account  of  another  war 
which  I  have  heard  of.  A  Strong  Squadron,  indeed, 
of  6  line  of  Battle  Ships  some  time  ago  sailed  with 
sealed  orders  and  went  aloft,  but  where  is  unknown. 
From  Barcelona,  as  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  get 

1  Godoy  (Emanuel — b.  1767,  d.  1851),  Prince  of  Peace.  Prime 
Minister  to  Charles  IV.  of  Spain. 


1803]  A  STRONG  LEVANTER  71 

to  Madrid  on  account  of  the  King  having  put  an 
Embargo  on  every  Conveyance,  which  is  easily  done 
as  the  Conveyances  are  bad  as  the  roads  and  difficult 
to  meet  with,  as  well  as  enormously  dear,  we  deter- 
mined to  steer  for  Gibraltar  by  Sea,  and  accordingly 
took  passage  on  an  English  brig,  which  was  to  stop 
on  the  Coast  for  fruit  we  took  on  board.  The 
Voyage  was  uncommonly  long,  and  we  met  with 
every  Species  of  weather,  during  which  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  witnessing  a  very  interesting  Collection 
of  Storms,  with  all  the  concomitant  circumstances 
such  as  Splitting  Sails  and  Shipping  Seas,  one  of 
which  did  us  considerable  mischief,  staving  in  all  the 
starboard  quarter  boards,  filling  and  very  nearly 
carrying  away  the  long-boat,  drowning  our  live 
Stock,  and,  of  course,  ducking  us  all  on  deck  most 
thoroughly.  We  stayed  a  week  at  Denia,  a  small 
but  beautiful  Town  on  the  south  part  of  the  K.  of 
Valencia.  We  were  fortunately  put  on  shore  here 
in  the  night  of  December  6th.  I  say  fortunately,  as 
in  consequence  of  a  very  strong  Levanter  the  Captn. 
was  for  some  hours  in  doubt  whether  he  should  not 
be  under  the  necessity  of  running  through  the  straits 
and  carrying  us  to  England,  which  was  very  near 
happening.  Italy  I  have  quite  given  up  for  the 
present.  Rome  and  Naples  I  lament  not  to  have 
seen,  but  you  know  that  from  Leghorn  I  turned  to 
the  westward  in  Compliance  with  Hussey's  wish,  who 
was  anxious  to  be  near  Lisbon.  We  have  some 
idea  of  going  from  this  place  thro'  Malaga  to 
Granada,  and  soon  after  we  return  proceed  to  Cadiz, 


72         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

and  after  making  some  excursions  from  thence  go 
on  to  Lisbon.  Your  letter  which  you  promised 
to  send  to  Madrid  will,  I  fear,  never  reach  me,  tho'  I 
have  still  hopes  of  paying  that  Capital  a  visit.  At 
Lisbon  I  shall  arrive,  I  should  think,  about  March, 
and  hope  to  be  in  England  about  May,  or  perhaps 
sooner.  At  Lisbon  I  hope  to  find  a  letter  from  you  ; 
the  direction  is  Jos.  Lyne  &  Co.  I  have  been  very 
unfortunate  in  not  finding  some  friends  in  the 
Garrison,  the  only  officer  to  whom  I  had  a  letter 
whom  I  found  here  has  been  of  little  Service  to  us. 
I  have,  however,  made  the  best  use  of  my  time  and 
have  been  over  the  greatest  part  of  this  extraordinary 
Fortress,  but  shall  leave  the  description  of  it,  as  well 
as  of  an  infinity  of  other  things,  till  we  meet,  which 
shall  be  very  soon  after  my  arrival  in  England.  I 
must  send  this  instantly  or  wait  for  the  next  Post 
day,  so  I  shall  conclude  rather  hastily.  My  best 
Love  to  Mrs.  S.  and  Believe  me, 

Yours  sincerely, 

EDWD.  STANLEY. 


CHAPTER   II 

AFTER   NAPOLEON'S   FALL 

News  of  the  Emperor's  fall  —  Foreign  plans  —  Disquieting 
rumours — Madame  de  Stae'l — London  in  an  uproar — 
Emperors  and  Kings — Hero-worship  at  close  quarters. 

1814. 

TH  E  sudden  rupture  of  the  Peace  of  Amiens  in 
May,  1803,  closed  France  to  Englishmen, 
except  to  the  miserable  eight  or  nine  thousand  who 
were  in  the  country  at  the  time,  and  were  forcibly 
detained  there  by  orders  of  the  First  Consul.  It 
was  not  until  eleven  years  later,  in  April,  1814, 
when  Napoleon  had  abdicated,  and  when  the  allies 
had  triumphantly  entered  Paris  and  restored  Louis 
XVIII.  to  the  throne  of  his  fathers,  that  peaceful 
British  travellers  could  cross  the  frontier  once  more. 
The  busy  parish  life  which  had  occupied  Edward 
Stanley  during  the  years  which  had  elapsed  since 
his  first  visit  to  France  had  not  made  him  less  keen 
for  travel  than  he  had  been  in  his  college  days,  and 
all  his  ardour  was  aroused  by  the  news  that  there 
was  to  be  an  end  to  Napoleon's  rule. 

73 


74          BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

The  excitement  caused  by  the  rumour  of  the 
capture  of  Paris  and  the  deposition  of  the  Emperor 
may  be  guessed  at  by  a  letter  received  at  Alderley 
from  Lord  Sheffield,  father  of  Lady  Maria  Stanley, 
in  the  spring  of  1814, 

Letter  from  Lord  Sheffield. 

PORTLAND  PLACE,  April  6,  1814. 

...  I  am  just  come  from  the  Secretary  of  State's 
Office.  We  are  all  gasping  for  further  intelligence 
from  Paris,  but  none  has  arrived  since  Capt.  Harris, 
a  very  intelligent  young  man  who  was  despatched 
in  half  an  hour  after  the  business  was  completed, 
but  of  course  cannot  answer  half  the  questions  put 
to  him.  He  came  by  Flanders,  escorted  part  of  the 
way  by  Cossacks,  but  was  stopped  nearly  a  day  on 
the  road.  Schwartzenberg  completely  out-generalled 
Buonaparte.  An  intercepted  letter  of  the  latter 
gave  him  notice  of  an  intended  operation.  He 
instantly  decided  on  the  measures  which  brought  on 
the  capture  of  Paris.  I  suppose  you  know  that 
King  Joseph  sent  the  Empress  and  King  of  Rome 
previously  to  Rambouillet.  It  is  supposed  that 
Buonaparte  has  fallen  back  to  form  a  junction  with 
some  other  troops.  A  friend  of  Marshal  Beresford's I 
has  just  called  here  who  lately  had  a  letter  from  the 
Marshal  which  says  that  he  is  quite  sure  that  Soult 
has  not  15,000  men  left,  and  that  in  sundry  engage- 

1  Marshal  Viscount  Beresford,  b.  1770,  d.  1854,  General  in 
the  English  Army.  He  reorganised  the  Portuguese  army  in  the 
Peninsular  War. 


1814]  RUMOURS  AND   ALARMS  75 

ments  and  by  desertion  he  has  lost  about  16,000 
men.  I  have  no  letter  from  Sir  Henry1  or  William 
Clinton2  since  I  saw  you,  but  I  learn  at  the  War 
Office  that  the  latter  was,  on  the  2oth  of  last 
month,  within  ten  days'  march  of  the  right  wing  of 
Lord  Wellington's  army.  3 

Further  news  soon  followed,  and  the  authentic 
accounts  of  the  Emperor's  abdication  at  Fontaine- 
bleau  on  April  i  ith,  and  of  his  banishment  to  Elba, 
made  it  certain  that  his  power  was  broken. 

The  Rector  of  Alderley  was  eager  to  seize  the 
chance  of  viewing  the  wreck  of  Napoleon's  Empire 
while  the  country  was  still  ringing  with  rumours  of 
battles  and  sieges,  and  he  began  to  make  plans  to 
do  so  almost  as  soon  as  the  French  ports  wrere  open. 

His  wife  was  as  keen  as  himself,  and  it  was  at 
first  suggested  that  Sir  John  and  Lady  Maria,  as 
well  as  Mrs.  Edward  Stanley,  should  join  the 
expedition  ;  but  the  difficulties  of  finding  accom- 
modation, and  the  fears  of  the  disturbed  state  of 
the  country,  made  them  abandon  the  idea,  to  their 
great  disappointment. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  correspondence 
of  Lady  Maria  Stanley  explain  the  reasons  for  the 
journey  being  given  up  by  herself  and  her  sister- 
in-law. 

1  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  General;  d.  1829. 

2  Sir  William  Clinton,  General,  1769-1854;  married  Louisa, 
second  daughter  of  Lord  Sheffield. 

3  On  April  loth  Lord  Wellington  fought  the  Battle  of  Toulouse 
against  Soult. 


76         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

They  describe  the  feeling  in  England  on  the 
foreign  situation,  and  also  give  a  glimpse  of  the 
wayward  authoress,  Madame  de  Stael,  who  was  just 
then  on  her  way  back  to  France  after  a  banishment 
of  ten  years. 

Lady  Maria  Stanley  to  her  sister,  Lady  Louisa 
Clinton. 

ALDERLEY  PARK,  April  30,  1814. 

So  the  Parisian  expedition  is  at  an  end  for  us, 
in  convention,  that  is,  for  I  think  Edward  will 
brave  all  difficulties,  and  with  Ed.  Leycester,  taking 
Holland  first  on  his  way,  make  a  fight  for  Paris  if 
possible ;  but  all  who  know  anything  on  the  subject 
represent  the  present  difficulties  as  so  great,  and 
the  probable  future  ones  so  much  greater,  that 
Kitty  (Mrs.  Ed.  Stanley)  has  given  up  all  thought 
of  making  the  attempt  this  year. 

Lodging  at  Paris  is  difficult  to  be  had,  and  there 
are  even  serious  apprehensions  of  a  scarcity  of  pro- 
visions there.  Moreover,  the  wise  ones  would  not 
be  surprised  if  things  were  in  a  very  unsettled  and, 
perhaps,  turbulent  state  for  some  months.  This 
is  Miss  Tunno's  information,  confirmed  by  other 
accounts  she  has  had  from  Paris. 

Madame  Moreau's  I  brother  means  to  return  to 

1  Madame  Moreau,  widow  of  General  Moreau,  daughter  of 
General  Hulot,  and  a  friend  of  the  Empress  Josephine.  Since 
the  death  of  the  General,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Dresden,  in  1813,  the  Emperor  Alexander  had  given  Mme. 
Moreau  a  pension  of  100,000  francs  a  year  in  recognition  of  her 


1814]  A  FIERCE  REPUBLICAN  77 

prepare  for  her  reception  and  the  mode  of  travelling, 
and  when  all  is  arranged  to  come  again  to  fetch  her. 

There  seems  every  reason  to  think  another  year 
preferable  for  a  trip,  especially  as  I  have  been 
making  the  same  melancholy  reflections  as  Cat. 
Fanshawe,1  and  feared  there  would  not  be  one 
clever  or  agreeable  person  left  in  London  a  Twelve- 
month hence  ;  my  only  comfort  is  the  expectation 
that  House  rent  will  be  very  cheap,  and  that  the 
said  Cat.  will  be  better  disposed  to  take  up  with 
second  best  company  for  want  of  perfection,  and 
that  we  may  have  more  of  her  society. 

.  .  .  All  you  say  of  the  French  nobility  and  their 
feelings  is  very  true  ;  but  if  they  return  with  the 
sentiment  that  all  the  Senate  who  wish  for  a  good 
constitution  are  "  des  coquins,"  which  I  very  much 
suspect,  I  shall  consider  the  emigrants  are  the 
greatest  "coquins"  of  the  two  sets. 

Surely,  all  the  very  bad  Republicans  and  terrorists 
are  exterminated.  I  should  like  to  see  a  list  of  the 
Constituent  Assembly,  with  an  account  of  what 
has  become  of  each.  I  have  been  reading  all 
the  accounts  we  have  of  the  Revolution  from  the 
beginning.  When  I  begin  I  am  as  fierce  a  Re- 
publican as  ever,  and  think  no  struggle  too  much 
for  the  purpose  of  amending  such  a  government 
or  such  laws.  By  the  time  I  come  to  /93,  how- 
husband's  services  ;  and  in  1814  Louis  XVIII.  gave  her  the  rank 
of  "  Marechale  de  France." 

1  Catherine  Fanshawe,  poetess,  and  friend  of  most  of  the 
literary  people  in  London  of  her  day. 


78          BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

ever,  one  begins  to  hesitate,  but  I  rejoice  most 
heartily  the  old  times  are  not  restored,  and  hope 
Louis  means  to  be  sincere  and  consistent  with  his 
good  beginning. 

I  return  the  "  Conte  de  Cely,"  which  is  very 
entertaining  and  interesting,  as  no  doubt  speaking 
the  sentiments  of  all  the  old  nobility.  I  do  not 
think  France  has  seen  the  end  of  her  troubles 
entirely.  It  is  impossible  the  Senate  and  the 
Emigrants  can  sit  down  quietly  together,  but  the 
former — the  Marshals  and  the  Generals — would  be 
formidable  if  they  had  reason  given  them  to  doubt 
the  security  of  Louis'  acceptation  of  the  Constitu- 
tion. If  the  Bourbons  share  the  sentiments  of  their 
nobles,  will  you  not  give  me  leave  to  think  they  are 
too  soon  restored  ? 

Miss  Tunno  is  very  intimate  with  Mdme.  Moreau 
and  a  cousin  of  hers.  All  her  accounts  have  been 
conformable  with  yours. 

Lady  Louisa  Clinton  to  her  sister,  Lady  Maria 
Stanley. 

To-day  I  sat  an  hour  with  Cat.  Fanshawe,  and 
was  highly  amused  by  the  account  she  gave  of 
Mme.  de  Stae'l  bolting  up  to  her  while  standing 
speaking  to  Lord  Lansdowne  and  some  others  at 
Mrs.  Marcet's,1  and  saying,  "  I  want  to  be  acquainted 
with  you.  They  say  you  have  written  a  minuet.  I 

1  Mrs.  Marcet,  b.  1785,  a  native  of  Geneva  (nte  Halduriand). 
Well  known  for  her  economic  and  scientific  works. 


1814]          THE  LAST  IMPORTED   LION  79 

am  not  a  judge  of  English  poetry,  but  those  who 
are  told  me  it  is  very  good.  Is  it  printed  ?  "  This 
intolerable  impertinence,  which,  however,  she  prob- 
ably meant  for  condescension,  so  utterly  overset 
Cat.,  that  she  could  find  not  a  word  to  say,  and 
treated  the  overture  so  coldly  that  nothing  more 
came  of  it. 

I  exhort  Cat.  to  recollect  that  the  woman  was  so 
notorious  for  excessive  ill-breeding,  that  no  parti- 
cular affront  was  intended,  and  hoped  she  would 
not  continue  coy,  as  I  long  to  hear  something  of 
this  Lioness  from  one  who  can  judge. 

Hitherto  I  have  had  no  such  luck.  I  hear  the 
most  exaggerated  statements  of  the  Baroness's 
absurdities,  or  of  the  necessity  of  her  being  one 
of  every  literary  party. 

Letter  from  Miss  Catherine  Fanshawe,  after 
meeting  Lord  Byron  and  Mme  de  Stael  at 
Sir  Humphry  and  Lady  Davys. 

Early  Spring,  1814. 

I  have  just  stayed  in  London  long  enough  to  get 
a  sight  of  the  last  imported  lion,1  Mme  de  Stael; 
but  it  was  worth  twenty  peeps  through  ordinary 
show-boxes,  being  the  longest  and  most  entertain- 
ing dinner  at  which  I  ever  in  my  life  was  present. 
The  party  being  very  small,  her  conversation  was 

1  Madame  de  Stael,  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.'s  Minister  Necker, 
b.  1766,  d.  1817.  Married  1786  to  the  Baron  de  Stael,  Swedish 
Minister  to  France.  She  had  been  exiled  from  France  by  Napoleon 
on  account  of  her  books,  "  Corinne  "  and  "  L'Allemagne." 


80         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

for  the  benefit  of  all  who  had  ears  to  hear,  and  even 
my  imperfect  organ  lost  little  of  the  discourse — 
happy  if  memory  had  served  me  with  as  much 
fidelity ;  for,  had  the  whole  discourse  been  written 
without  one  syllable  of  correction,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  name  a  dialogue  so  full  of  eloquence  and 
wit.  Eloquence  is  a  great  word,  but  not  too  big  for 
her.  She  speaks  as  she  writes ;  and  upon  this 
occasion  she  was  inspired  by  indignation,  finding 
herself  between  two  opposite  spirits,  who  gave  full 
play  to  all  her  energies.  She  was  astonished  to 
hear  that  this  pure  and  perfect  constitution  was  in 
need  of  radical  reform ;  that  the  only  safety  for 
Ireland  was  to  open  wide  the  doors  which  had  been 
locked  and  barred  by  the  glorious  revolution ;  and 
that  Great  Britain,  the  bulwark  of  the  World,  the 
Rock  which  alone  had  withstood  the  sweeping  flood, 
the  ebbs  and  flows  of  Democracy  and  Tyranny,  was 
herself  feeble,  disjointed,  and  almost  on  the  eve 
of  ruin.  So,  at  least,  it  was  represented  by  her 
antagonist  in  argument,  Childe  Harold,  whose 
sentiments,  partly  perhaps  for  the  sake  of  argu- 
ment, grew  deeper  and  darker  in  proportion  to  her 
enthusiasm. 

The  wit  was  his.  He  is  a  mixture  of  gloom  and 
sarcasm,  chastened,  however,  by  good  breeding,  and 
with  a  vein  of  original  genius  that  makes  some 
atonement  for  the  unheroic  and  uncongenial  cast  of 
his  whole  mind.  It  is  a  mind  that  never  conveys 
the  idea  of  sunshine.  It  is  a  dark  night  upon  which 
the  lightning  flashes.  The  conversation  between 


18U]  MADAME  DE   STAEL  81 

these  two  and  Sir  Humphry  Davy,1  at  whose  house 
they  met,  was  so  animated  that  Lady  Davy2  proposed 
coffee  being  served  in  the  eating-room ;  so  we  did 
not  separate  till  eleven.  Of  course  we  had  assembled 
rather  late.  I  should  not  say  "assembled,"  for  the 
party  included  no  guests  except  Lord  Byron  and 
myself  in  addition  to  the  "  Stae'l  "  quartette.  .  .  . 

As  foreigners  have  no  idea  that  any  opposition  to 
Government  is  compatible  with  general  obedience 
and  loyalty,  their  astonishment  was  unbounded.  I, 
perhaps  I  only,  completely  relished  all  her  reason- 
ings, and  I  thought  her  perfectly  justified  in  replying 
to  the  pathetic  mournings  over  departed  liberty, 
"  Et  vous  comptez  pour  rien  la  liberte*  de  dire  tout 
cela,  et  meme  devant  les  domestiques ! "  She  con- 
cluded by  heartily  wishing  us  a  little  taste  of  real 
adversity  to  cure  us  of  our  plethora  of  political 
health. 

In  consequence  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
anticipated  in  the  above  letters  Edward  Stanley 
finally  decided  to  take  as  his  only  travelling  com- 
panion his  young  brother-in-law,  Edward  Leycester, 
who  was  just  leaving  Cambridge  for  the  Long 
Vacation. 

Mrs.  Stanley  accompanied  her  husband  and 
brother  as  far  as  London,  in  order  to  see  the  fes- 

1  Sir  Humphry  Davy,   1778-1829;  began  life   as  a  Cornish 
miner.     He  became  a  distinguished  chemist  and  scientist. 

2  Daughter  of  C.  Kerr,  Esq.,   of  Kelso,   and  widow  of  S. 
Apreece,  Esq.,  married  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  1812. 

6 


82         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

tivities  held  in  honour  of  the  State  visit  of  the  Allied 
Sovereigns  to  England  in  June,  on  their  way  from 
the  Restoration  ceremonies  in  France. 

Her  letters  to  her  sister-in-law  during  this  visit 
describe  some  of  the  actors  in  the  great  events  of 
the  last  few  months  and  the  excitement  which 
pervaded  London  during  their  stay. 

Mrs.  Edward  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

LONDON,  Friday,  June  13,  1814. 

Edward  went  for  his  passport  the  other  day,  and 
was  told  he  must  go  to  the  Alien  Office,  being  taken 
for  a  Frenchman.  .  .  . 

I  forgot  yesterday  to  beg  Sir  John  would  write 
Edward  an  introduction  to  Lord  Clancarty,1  and 
anybody  else  he  can  think  of  at  Paris  or  the  Hague, 
and  send  them  to  him  as  soon  as  possible. 

We  have  been  Emperor2  hunting  all  morning. 
No,  first  we  went  to  Mass  with  Miss  Cholmondeley, 
and  heard  such  music ! 

Then  with  her  to  the  Panorama  of  Vittoria,  and 
since  then  we  have  been  parading  St.  James's  Street 
and  Piccadilly.  Oh !  London  for  ever !  Edward 
saw  a  whiskered  man  go  into  a  shop,  followed  him, 
and  accosted  him,  and  it  was  a  man  just  arrived 
with  despatches  for  the  Crown  Prince,  who  was 
thankful  to  be  shewn  his  way.  There  was  a  gentle- 
man came  up  to  talk  to  Miss  Cholmondeley, 

1  Second  Earl  of  Clancarty,  1767-1837.    Ambassador  to  the 
Netherlands. 

2  The  Emperor  Alexander  I.  of  Russia,  1777-1825. 


-  marre 


W  (Odieard  GManleytSlO 


1814]  LONDON  IN  AN  UPROAR  83 

and  he  had  been  living  in  the  house  with  Lucien 
Bonaparte.1 

Then  Edward  was  standing  in  Hatchard's  shop, 
and  he  saw  a  strange  bonnet  in  an  open  landau,  and 
there  was  the  Duchess  of  Oldenburg 2  and  her 
Bonnet,  and  her  brother  sitting  by  her  in  a  plain 
black  coat,  and  he  gave  himself  the  toothache 
running  after  the  carriage. 

He  saw,  or  fancied  he  saw,  a  great  deal  of 
character  in  the  Duchess's  countenance.  I  just 
missed  this,  but  afterwards  joined  Edward,  and 
walked  up  and  down  St.  James's  Street,  trusting 
to  Edward's  eyes,  rather  than  all  the  assurances  we 
met  with,  that  the  Emperor  was  gone  to  Carlton 

1  Lucien,  second  brother  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  1775-1840. 

2  Catherine,  Grand  Duchess  of  Russia,  sister  of  the  Emperor 
Alexander  I.,  won  golden  opinions  in  England.     "  She  was  very 
clever,  graceful,  and  elegant,  with  most  pleasing  manners,  and 
spoke  English  well."     Creevey  says  that  the  Emperor  was  much 
indebted  to  his  sister,  the  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  for  "  keeping 
him  in  the  course  by  her  judicious  interposition  and  observations." 
In  1808  Napoleon  had  wished  for  her  as  his  bride,  but,  as  she  says 
in  a  letter  to  her  brother,  the  Czar,  "  her  heart  would  break  as  the 
intended  wife  of  Napoleon  before  she  could  reach  the  limits  of  his 
usurped  dominions,  and  she  cannot  but  consider  as  frightfully 
ominous  this  offer  of  marriage  from  an  Imperial  Assassin  to  the 
daughter  and  grand-daughter  of  two  assassinated  Emperors  "  (see 
"  Letters  of  Two  Brothers,"  by  Lady  G.  Ramsden).     The  marriage 
of  the  Grand  Duchess  Catherine  to  the  Duke  of  Oldenburg  was 
hastily  arranged  to  enable  her  to  escape  the  alliance.     The  Duke 
died  in  1812,  and  she  afterwards  married  her  cousin,  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Wurtemberg,  to  whom  she  had  been  attached  in  early 
youth.     The  Duchess  attracted  great  attention  by  wearing  a  large 
bonnet,  which  afterwards  became  the  fashion  and  was  called  after 
her. 


84         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

House,  and  were  rewarded  by  a  sight  of  him  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  which  had  sufficed  him  to  change 
his  dress  and  his  equipage,  and  a  very  fine  head  he 
has.  Such  a  sense  of  bustle  and  animation  as  there 
is  in  that  part  of  the  town !  You  and  Sir  John  may, 
and  I  daresay  will,  laugh  at  all  the  amazing  anxiety 
and  importance  attached  to  a  glimpse  of  what  is  but 
a  man  after  all ;  but  still  the  common  principles  of 
sympathy  would  force  even  Sir  John's  philosophy  to 
yield  to  the  animating  throng  of  people  and  carriages 
down  St.  James's  Street,  and  follow  their  example 
all  the  time  he  was  abusing  their  folly. 

fune  13,  1814. 

At  half-past  ten  we  started  for  the  illuminations, 
and  nearly  made  the  tour  of  the  whole  town  from 
Park  Lane  to  St.  Paul's  in  the  open  barouche. 

I  cannot  conceive  a  more  beautiful  scene  than  the 
India  House  ;  they  had  hung  a  quantity  of  flags  and 
colours  of  different  sorts  across  the  street ;  the 
flutings  and  capitals  of  the  pillars,  and  all  the  out- 
lines of  the  buildings,  marked  out  with  lamps,  so 
that  it  was  much  more  like  a  fairy  palace  and  a  fairy 
scene  altogether  than  anything  else. 

The  flags  concealed  the  sky,  and  formed  such  a 
fine  background  to  the  brilliant  light  thrown  on  all 
the  groups  of  figures. 

We  did  not  get  home  till  daylight.  There  was 
nothing  the  least  good  or  entertaining  in  the  way  of 
inscriptions  and  transparencies,  except  a  "  Hosanna 
to  Jehovah,  Britain,  and  Alexander," 


1814]  EMPEROR  HUNTING  85 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

LONDON,  Wednesday,  June,  1814. 

Where  did  we  go  to  be  made  fools  of  by  the 
Emperor  yesterday  for  four  hours  ?  We  went  with 
Miss  Tunno,  got  introduced  to  a  gentleman's  tailor 
in  Parliament  Street,  and  looked  out  of  his  window  ; 
saw  a  shabby  coach  and  six  pass,  full  of  queer  heads, 
one  of  which  was  so  like  the  prints  of  Alexander, 
and  bowed  so  like  an  Emperor,  that  I  must  and  will 
maintain  it  to  have  been  him  till  I  can  receive 
positive  proof  that  it  was  not.  We  saw,  too,  what 
they  said  was  Blucher,  but  we  could  hear  or  see 
nothing  but  that  something  was  wrapped  up  in  furs. 
However,  Edward  was  more  fortunate,  and  came  in 
for  the  real  bows  which  the  real  Emperor  made  from 
the  Pulteney  Hotel  window,  and  you  and  Sir  John 
may  laugh  as  you  please  at  all  the  trouble  we  have 
taken  to  see — nothing. 

Nevertheless,  though  I  was  well  disposed  to  kiss 
the  Emperor  and  Prince,  and  all  who  contributed  to 
disappoint  the  public  expectation,  it  is  certainly 
entertaining  and  enlivening  to  be  in  expectation  of 
meeting  something  strange  every  corner  you  turn 
and  every  different  report  you  hear.  The  Emperor 
has  gone  out  this  morning  to  look  about  at  half-past 
nine,  long  before  the  Prince  Regent  called. 

They  say  he  will  sail  in  one  of  his  own  ships  from 
Leith  and  may  pass  through  Manchester.  But  after 
all,  it  is  something  like  what  Craufurd  described 
being  in  Paris,  to  be  hearing  yourself  in  the  midst 


86          BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

of  a  great  bustle  with  your  eyes  shut  and  unable  to 
see  what  was  going  on  round  you. 

We  talk  of  Monday  se'enight  for  our  separation. 
There  is  so  much  to  be  seen  if  one  could  but  see  it 
here,  that  Edward  is  in  no  hurry  to  be  off.  .  .  . 

At  Lady  Cork's  the  other  night  Blucher  was 
expected.  Loud  Huzzas  in  the  street  at  length 
announced  him,  the  crowd  gathered  round  the  door, 
and  in  walked  Lady  Caroline  Lamb  *  in  a  foreign 
uniform !  This  I  had  from  no  less  authentic  and 
accurate  a  source  than  Dr.  Holland,  who  was  an 
eye-witness.  She  had  been  at  the  party  in  female 
attire,  and  seeing  Lady  Cork's  anxiety  to  see  the 
great  man,  returned  home  and  equipped  herself  to 
take  in  Lady  C.  and  Co. 

Monday ',  8  a.m.,  June  i6th. 

Yesterday,  after  Church,  we  went  to  the  Park. 
It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  the  Emperor  may  well 
be  astonished  at  the  population,  for  such  a  crowd  of 
people  I  could  not  have  conceived,  and  such  an 
animated  crowd.  As  the  white  plumes  of  the 
Emperor's  guard  danced  among  the  trees,  the 
people  all  ran  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the 
other ;  it  was  impossible  to  resist  the  example,  and 
we  ran  too,  backwards  and  forwards  over  the  same 
hundred  yards,  four  times,  and  were  rewarded  by 
seeing  the  Ranger  of  the  Forest,  Lord  Sydney,  who 

1  Lady  Caroline,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Bessborough,  wife  of 
Hon.  William  Lamb,  afterwards  Lord  Melbourne,  authoress  of 
"  Glenarvon,"  &c. 


1814]        THE    ALLIES  AT  THE   OPERA  87 

preceded  the  Royal  party,  get  a  good  tumble,  horse 
and  all.  We  saw  Lord  Castlereagh  almost  pulled 
off  his  horse  by  congratulations  and  huzzahs  as  loud 
as  the  Emperor's,  and  a  most  entertaining  walk  we 
had. 

We  dined  at  Mr.  Egerton's.  Mr.  Morritt r  rather 
usurped  the  conversation  after  dinner,  but  I  was  glad 
of  him  to  save  me  from  the  history  of  each  lady's 
adventures  in  search  of  the  Emperor  or  the  illumina- 
tions. The  Opera  must  have  been  a  grand  sight ; 
it  seems  undoubted  that  the  Emperor  and  Prince 
Regent,  and  all  in  the  Royal  box,  rose  when  the 
Princess  of  Wales  came  in  and  bowed  to  her — it  is 
supposed  by  previous  arrangement.  Lord  Liver- 
pool 2  declared  that  he  would  resign  unless  something 
of  the  sort  was  done. 

One  man  made  forty  guineas  by  opening  his  box 
door  and  allowing  those  in  the  lobbies  to  take  a  peep 
for  a  guinea  apiece.  We  made  an  attempt  on 
Saturday  to  get  into  the  pit,  but  it  was  quite  impos- 
sible. I  would  not  for  the  world  but  have  been 
here  during  the  fever,  although  what  many  people 
complain  of  is  very  true,  that  it  spoils  all  conver- 
sation and  society,  and  in  another  day  or  two 
I  shall  be  quite  tired  of  the  sound  or  sight  of 
Emperors. 

The  merchants  and  bankers  invited  the  Emperor 
to  dinner  ;  he  said  he  had  no  objection  if  they  would 
promise  him  it  should  not  exceed  three-quarters  of 

1  Mr.  Morritt,  of  Rokeby. 

-  Lord  Liverpool,  1770-1828.     Prime  Minister  in  1815. 


88         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

an  hour,  on  which  Sir  William  Curtis  lifted  up  his 
hands  and  exclaimed,  "  God  bless  me !  " 

He  is  tired  to  death  with  the  long  sittings  he  is 
obliged  to  undergo.  The  stories  of  him  quite 
bring  one  back  to  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  and  they 
could  not  have  chosen  a  more  appropriate  ballet  for 
him  than  "  Le  Calife  Voleur." 

If  he  stayed  long  enough,  he  might  revolutionise 
the  hours  of  London. 

I  was  close  to  Blucher  yesterday,  but  only  saw 
his  back,  for  I  never  thought  of  looking  at  a  man's 
face  who  had  only  a  black  coat  on. 

You  may  safely  rest  in  your  belief  that  I  do 
not  enjoy  anything  I  see  or  hear  without  telling  it 
to  you,  and  you  are  quite  right  in  your  conjecture 
as  to  what  your  feelings  would  be  here. 

I  have  thought  and  said  a  hundred  times  what  a 
fever  of  impatience  disappointment,  and  fatigue 
you  would  be  in.  ...  You  are  also  right  in 
supposing  that  you  know  as  much  or  more  of  the 
Emperor  than  I  do,  for  one  has  not  the  time  nor 
the  inclination  to  read  what  one  has  the  chance 
of  seeing  all  the  day  long,  and  it  is  so  entertaining 
that  I  feel  it  quite  impossible  to  sit  quiet  and 
content  when  you  know  what  is  going  on. 

One  person  meets  another  :  "  What  are  you  here 
for  ? "  "I  don't  know.  What  are  you  expecting 
to  see  ?  "  One  says  the  Emperor  is  gone  this  way, 
and  another  that  way,  and  of  all  the  talking  couples 
or  trios  that  pass  you  in  the  street,  there  are  not 
two  where  the  word  "  Emperor  "  or  "  King  "  or 


1814]  COSSACKS  ON  VIEW  89 

"  Blucher"  is  not  in  one,  if  not  both  mouths  ;  and 

all  a  foxhound's  sagacity  is  necessary  to  scent  him 

successfully,  for    he  slips    round  by  backways  and 
in    plain  clothes. 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

LONDON,  June  17,  1814. 

We  were  in  high  luck  on  Sunday  in  getting 
a  private  interview  with  the  Cossacks,  through 
some  General  of  M.'s  acquaintance.  We  saw  their 
horses  and  the  white  one,  20  years  old,  which 
has  carried  Platoff J  through  all  his  engagements. 
They  are  small  horses  with  very  thick  legs.  The 
Cossacks  themselves  would  not  open  the  door  of 
their  room  till  luckily  a  gentleman  who  could  speak 
Russian  came  up,  and  then  we  were  admitted. 

There  were  four,  one  who  had  been  thirty  years 
in  the  service,  with  a  long  beard  and  answering 
exactly  my  idea  of  a  Cossack ;  the  others,  younger 
men  with  fine  countenances  and  something  graceful 
and  gentleman-like  in  their  figure  and  manner. 
They  were  very  happy  to  talk,  and  there  was  great 
intelligence  and  animation  in  their  eyes.  No 
wonder  they  defy  the  weather  with  their  cloaks 
made  of  black  sheepskin  and  lined  with  some  very- 
thick  cloth  which  makes  them  quite  impenetrable  to 
cold  or  wet.  Their  lances  were  1 1  feet  long,  and 
they  were  dressed  in  blue  jacket  and  trousers 
confined  round  the  waist  with  a  leather  belt,  in 
1  Platoff,  1716-1818,  Russian  General. 


90         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

which  was  a  rest  for  the  lance.  I  envied  their 
saddles,  which  have  a  sort  of  pommel  behind  and 
before,  between  which  is  placed  a  cushion,  on  which 
they  must  sit  most  comfortably.  We  must  see 
them  on  horseback  to  have  seen  them,  but  we  shall 
probably  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them 

again. 

June  18,  1814. 

On  returning  from  Miss  Fanshawe's  we  saw  a 
royal  carriage  in  George  Street  at  Madame 
Moreau's,  and  we  waited  to  see  the  Emperor 
and  the  Duchess  (of  Oldenburg)  get  into  the 
carriage.  He  was  in  a  plain  blue  coat ;  she  without 
her  curious  bonnet,  so  that  I  had  a  good  view  of 
her  face,  which  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding 
exactly  what  I  wished  to  see.  The  extreme  sim- 
plicity of  her  dress — she  had  nothing  but  a  plain 
white  gown  and  plain  straw  hat,  with  no  ornament 
of  any  sort — and  her  very  youthful  appearance 
made  me  doubt  whether  it  was  really  the  Duchess  ; 
but  it  was. 

She  is  very  little,  and  there  is  a  strong  expression 
of  intelligence,  vivacity,  and  youthful,  unsophisti- 
cated animation  in  her  countenance.  I  fancied 
I  could  see  so  much  of  her  character  in  the  brisk 
step  with  which  she  jumped  into  the  carriage, 
and  the  unassuming,  lively  smile  with  which 
she  bowed  to  the  people. 

The  Emperor  looks  like  a  gentleman — but  a 
country  gentleman,  not  like  an  Emperor.  His 
head  is  very  like  R.  Heber's.  The  Duchess  allowed 


1814]    SERMON  BEFORE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA    91 

herself  to  be  pleased  and  to  express  her  pleasure  at 
all  the  sights  without  the  least  restraint.  She  asks 
few  questions,  but  those  very  pertinent.  She  is 
impatient  at  being  detained  long  over  anything,  but 
anxious  to  silence  those  who  would  hence  infer  that 
she  runs  over  everything  superficially,  without 
gaining  or  retaining  real  knowledge. 

At  Woolwich  she  was  asked  if  she  would  see  the 
steam-engines.  "  No,  she  had  seen  them  already, 
and  understood  them  perfectly."  As  they  passed 
the  open  door  she  turned  her  head  to  look  at  the 
machinery,  and  instantly  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  that  is 
one  of  Maudesley's  engines,"  her  eye  immediately 
catching  the  peculiarity  of  the  construction. 

LONDON,  June  22,  1814. 

In  the  middle  of  Edward's  sermon  at  St. 
George's  to-day  somebody  in  our  pew  whispered  it 
round  that  there  was  the  King  of  Prussia  *  in  the 
Gallery.  I  looked  as  directed,  and  fixed  my  eyes 
on  a  melancholy,  pensive,  interesting  face,  exactly 
answering  the  descriptions  of  the  King,  and  imme- 
diately fell  into  a  train  of  very  satisfactory  reflection 
and  conjecture  on  the  expression  of  his  physiognomy, 
for  which  twenty  minutes  afforded  me  ample  time. 
The  King  was  the  only  one  I  had  not  seen,  there- 
fore this  opportunity  of  studying  his  face  so  com- 
pletely was  particularly  valuable.  When  the  prayer 
after  the  sermon  was  concluded,  my  informer  said 
the  King  was  gone,  when,  to  my  utter  disappoint- 
1  Frederick  William  III. 


92         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

ment,  I  beheld  my  Hero  still  standing  in  the 
Gallery,  and  discovered  I  had  pitched  upon  a  wrong 
person,  and  wasted  all  my  observations  on  a  face 
that  it  did  not  really  signify  whether  it  looked 
merry  or  sad,  and  entirely  missed  the  sight  of  the 
real  King,  who  was  in  the  next  pew. 

Nothing  but  his  sending  to  offer  Edward  a 
Chaplaincy  in  Berlin  for  his  excellent  sermon  can 
possibly  console  me,  except,  indeed,  the  honour  by 
itself  Q{  having  preached  before  a  King  of  Prussia, 
which  can  never  happen  again  in  his  life. 

.  .  .  The  Duchess  of  Oldenburg  took  all  the 
merchants  by  surprise  the  other  day.  They  had  no 
idea  she  was  coming  to  their  dinner ;  she  was  the 
only  lady,  and  she  was  rather  a  nuisance  to  them,  as 
they  had  provided  a  hundred  musicians,  who  could 
not  perform,  as  she  cannot  bear  music.1  She  was 
highly  amused  at  the  scene  and  with  their  "  Hip  ! 
Hip!" 

MONDAY,  June  23,  1814. 

At  our  dinner  Mr.  Tennant  came  in  late,  with 
many  apologies,  but  really  he  had  been  hunting 
the  Emperor — waiting  for  him  two  hours  at  one 
place  and  two  hours  at  another,  and  came  away 
at  last  without  seeing  him  at  all. 

He  said,  in  his  dry  way,  that  "  Have  you  seen 
the  Emperor? "  has  entirely  superseded  the  use  of 
"How  do  you  do?" 

1  The  Duchess  had  been  very  fond  of  music,  but  since  the 
death  of  her  husband  it  had  affected  her  so  deeply  that  she 
feared  breaking  down  on  any  public  occasion. 


1814]  A   SWORD  FROM   HEAVEN  93 

In  the  morning  he  had  gone  into  a  shop  to  buy 
some  gloves,  and  whilst  he  was  trying  them  on 
the  shopman  suddenly  exclaimed,  "Blucher! 
Blucher ! "  cleared  the  counter  at  a  leap,  followed 
by  all  the  apprentices,  and  Mr.  Tennant  remained 
soberly  amongst  the  gloves  to  make  his  own 
selection,  for  he  saw  nothing  more  of  his  dealers. 

Rooms  are  letting  to-day  in  the  City  at  60 
guineas  a  room,  or  a  guinea  a  seat  for  the  pro- 
cession. Tickets  for  places  to  see  it  from  White's 
to  be  had  at  Hookham's  for  80  guineas ;  50  have 
been  refused. 

Your  letter  revived  me  after  five  hours'  walking 
and  standing,  and  running  after  reviews,  &c. 

I  did  see  the  King  of  Prussia,  to  be  sure,  and 
the  Prince,  and  the  people  climbing  up  the  trees 
like  the  grubs  on  the  gooseberry  bushes,  and  heard 
the  feu  de  joie,  whose  crescendo  and  diminuendo 
was  very  fine  indeed,  but  altogether  it  was  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  being  tired  and  squeezed  for. 

At  the  reception  at  Sir  Joseph  Banks's  house  last 
night  the  most  interesting  object  of  the  evening 
was  a  sword  come  down  from  heaven  on  purpose 
for  the  Emperor !  Let  the  Prince  Regent  and  his 
garters  and  his  orders,  and  the  merchants  and  the 
aldermen  and  everybody  hide  their  diminished 
heads !  What  are  they  and  their  gifts  to  the 
Philosophers'  ? 

This  is  literally  a  sword  made  by  Sowerby  from 
the  iron  from  some  meteoric  stones  lately  fallen — 
of  course  in  honour  of  the  Emperor.  There  is  an 


94         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

inscription  on  it  something  to  this  effect,  but  not 
so  neat  as  the  subject  demanded,  and  it  is  to  be 
presented  to  Alexander — who  does  not  deserve  it, 
by  the  by,  for  having  entirely  neglected  Sir  Joseph 
amongst  all  the  great  sights  and  great  men,  which 
has  rather  mortified  the  poor  old  man. 

LONDON,  Monday  night. 

They  are  off,  and  in  spite  of  all  my  friends'  pre- 
dictions to  the  contrary,  I  am  here. 

Edward  went  this  morning  to  Portsmouth  on  his 
way  to  Havre,  but  the  Havre  packet  is  employed 
in  pleasuring  people  up  and  down  to  see  the  ships. 
Not  a  bed  is  to  be  had  in  the  place,  so  he  has 
secured  his  berth  in  the  packet,  if  he  can  find 
her,  and  get  on  board  at  night  after  her  morning's 
excursions. 

Standing  room  is  to  be  had  in  the  streets  for 
three  shillings ;  seats  are  putting  up  in  and  for 
two  miles  out  of  the  town  ;  all  the  laurels  cut  down 
to  stick  upon  poles  ;  in  short,  everybody  is  madder 
there  than  in  London. 

Can  the  English  ever  be  called  cool  and 
phlegmatic  again?  It  is  really  a  pity  some 
metaphysicianising  philosopher  is  not  here  to 
observe,  describe,  and  theorise  on  the  extra- 
ordinary symptoms  and  effects  of  enthusiasm, 
curiosity,  insanity — I  am  sure  I  do  not  know 
what  to  call  it — en  masse. 

One  should  have  supposed  that  the  great  objects 
would  have  swallowed  up  the  little  ones.  No  such 


1814]  HERO  WORSHIP  AT  CLOSE  QUARTERS   95 

thing!  they  have  only  made  the  appetite  for  them 
more  ravenous. 

The  mob  got  hold  of  Lord  Hill 1  in  the  Park  at 
the  review,  and  did  literally  pull  his  coat  and  his 
belt  to  pieces.  He  snatched  off  his  Order  of  the 
Bath,  and  gave  it  to  Major  Churchill,  who  put  it 
in  the  holster  of  his  saddle,  where  he  preserved  it 
from  the  mob  only  by  drawing  his  sword  and 
declaring  he  would  cut  any  man's  hand  off  who 
touched  it.  Some  kissed  his  sword,  his  boots,  his 
spurs,  or  anything  they  could  touch ;  they  pulled 
hair  out  of  his  horse's  tail,  and  one  butcher's  boy 
who  arrived  at  the  happiness  of  shaking  his  hand, 
they  chaired,  exclaiming,  "  This  is  the  man  who 
has  shaken  hands  with  Lord  Hill ! "  At  last 
they  tore  his  sword  off  by  breaking  the  belt  and 
then  handed  it  round  from  one  to  another  to  be 
kissed. 

My  regret  at  not  having  been  at  White's  is 
stronger  than  my  desire  to  go  was ;  it  must  have 
been  the  most  splendid  and  interesting  sight  one 
could  ever  hope  to  see. 

On  Friday,  June  27th,  Edward  Stanley  and 
Edward  Leycester  finally  set  off  and  sailed  from 
Portsmouth,  all  gay  with  festivities  in  honour  of 
the  Allied  Sovereigns. 

Mrs.  Stanley  was  left  to  spend  the  time  of  their 
absence  at  her  father's  house  in  Cheshire,  but  the 

1  Rowland  Hill.  General  Lord  Hill,  1772-1842  ;  distinguished 
in  the  Peninsular  War. 


96          BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

keen   interest  with  which  she  would  have  shared 
the  journey  was  not  forgotten  by  her  husband. 

The  events  of  the  tour  were  minutely  chronicled 
in  his  letters  to  her,  and  not  only  in  letters,  but 
in  sketch  books,  filled  to  overflowing  with  every 
strange  group  and  figure  which  met  the  travellers 
on  their  way,  through  countries  which  had  been, 
although  so  near,  prohibited  for  such  a  long  time 
that  they  had  almost  the  interest  of  unknown  lands. 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

STOKE,  July  4,  1814. 

.  .  .  That  my  curiosity  may  not  catch  cold  in  the 
too  sudden  transition  from  exercise  to  inaction,  the 
Shropshire  and  Cheshire  Heroes  have  followed  me 
down  here,  and  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
and  hearing  of  the  crowds  going  to  touch  (for  that 
is  the  present  fashion  of  seeing,  or,  to  speak 
philosophically,  mode  of  perception]  Lord  Hill ; 
and  yesterday  I  met  Lord  Combermere  and  his 
Bride  at  Alderley,  and  a  worthy  Hero  he  is  for 
Cheshire ! 

A  folio  from  Havre  just  arrived.  I  am  very 
noble,  very  virtuous,  and  very  disinterested— pray 
assure  me  so,  for  nothing  else  can  console  me— it 
is  too  entertaining  to  send  one  extract. 


CHAPTER   III 

UNDER  THE   BOURBON   FLAG 

French  prisoners — Oldenburg  bonnets — "  Fugio  ut  Fulgor  " — 
Soldiers  of  the  Empire — Paris — A  French  hotel — A  walk 
through  Paris — Portrait  of  Madame  de  Stael — An  English 
ambassador — The  Louvre — French  tragedy — The  heights 
of  Montmartre — Cossacks  in  the  Champs  Elysees — ^900 
for  substitute — Napoleon's  legacies  to  his  successor — A 
dinner  at  the  English  Embassy — Botany  and  mineralogy 
— Party  at  Madame  de  Stae'Ps — A  debate  in  the  Corps 
Legislatif — Malmaison — Elbowing  the  marshals — St  Cloud 
and  Trianon — The  Catacombs. 

Edward  Stanley  to  his   Wife. 
LETTER  I. 

HAVRE,  June  26,   1814. 

WE  have  passed  the  Rubicon — nous  voila  en 
France,  all  new,  interesting,  and  delightful. 
I  know  not  where  or  how  to  begin — the  observa- 
tions of  an  hour  were  I  to  paint  in  Miniature 
would  fill  my  sheet ;  however,  you  must  not  expect 
arrangement  but  read  a  sort  of  higgledy-piggledy 
journal  as  things  run  through  my  head.  I  must 

97 


98         BEFORE   AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

pin  them  down  like  my  Butterflies  as  they  pass, 
or  they  will  be  gone  for  ever. 

At  half-past  four  on  Friday  we  sailed  from  Ports- 
mouth, and  saw  the  fleet  in  the  highest  beauty — 
amongst  them  all  while  they  were  under  sail  tacking, 
&c. ;  the  delay  has  not  been  lost  time.  I  should 
observe  before  I  quit  the  subject  of  Portsmouth 
events,  that  the  Emperor  could  not  find  time  to 
sail  about  for  mere  amusement  two  days,  this  he 
left  to  the  P.  R.1  He  (the  Emperor)  and  the 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg  occupied  themselves  in 
visiting  the  Dockyards,  Machinery,  Haslar  Hos- 
pital— in  short,  everything  worthy  the  notice  of 
enlightened  beings.  .  .  . 

Our  passengers  were  numerous,  about  25  in  a 
vessel  of  as  many  tons,  with  only  six  what  they 
called  regular  sleeping-places.  ...  But  I  had  no 
reason  to  complain,  our  party  was  in  many 
respects  excellent — one,  a  jewel  of  no  ordinary 
value,  by  name  Mr.  John  Cross,  of  whom  I  must 
enquire  more.  I  have  seldom  met  with  a  man 
of  more  general  and  at  the  same  time  deep  in- 
formation ;  he  seemed  perfect  in  everything. 
Mineralogy,  Antiquities,  Chemistry,  literature, 
human  nature  were  at  his  fingers'  ends,  and 
most  gentlemanly  manners  into  the  bargain.  .  .  . 

Amongst  others  we  had  three  French  officers, 
prisoners  returning  home.  They  had  not  met 
before  that  evening,  but  had  you  heard  their  incom- 
parable voices  when  they  sang  their  trios,  you  would 
1  The  Prince  Regent,  afterwards  George  IV. 


1814]  RELEASED   PRISONERS  99 

have  supposed  they  had  practised  together  for 
years.  Mr.  John  Cross  alone  surpassed  them  in 
their  art.  These  gentlemen  were  certainly  not 
hostile  to  Bonaparte,  but  to  gratify  their  musical 
taste  they  stuck  at  nothing — "God  save  the  King," 
"Rule  Britannia,"  "The  Downfall  of  Paris"  were 
chaunted  in  swift  succession,  and  the  following 
commencement  of  one  of  their  songs  will  show  the 
popular  opinion  of  Bonaparte's  campaign  in 

Russia : — 

"  Quel  est  le  Monarque  qui  peut 

Etre  si  fou 

Que  d'aller  a  Moscou 
Pour  perdre  sa  grande  armee  ?  " 

A  fair  wind  brought  us  in  sight  of  the  French 
coast  early  on  Saturday.  At  1 1  we  were  under  the 
headland  of  Havre,  and  at  12  anchored  in  the  bay, 
and  were  in  an  instant  surrounded  by  chattering 
boatfuls  who  talked  much  but  did  nothing.  On 
landing  we  were  escorted  to  the  Passport  Office  and 
most  civilly  received  there ;  the  difference,  indeed, 
between  public  offices  in  England  and  France  is 
quite  glaring.  Even  the  Custom  house  Officers 
apologised  for  keeping  us  waiting  for  the  form  of 
searching ;  and  tho'  the  Underlings  condescended  to 
take  a  Franc  or  two,  the  Officer  himself,  when  I 
offered  money,  turned  away  his  head  and  hand  and 
cried,  "  Ba,  Ba,  Non,  Non,"  with  such  apparent 
sincerity  that  I  felt  as  if  I  had  insulted  him  by 
offering  it.  ... 

The  whole  process  of  getting  our  passports  signed, 


100       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

&c.,  being  over,  we  went  to  an  Hotel.  "  Ici,  gargon, 
vite  mettez  Messieurs  les  Anglois  a  1'onzieme,"  cried 
a  landlady — and  such  a  landlady !  and  up  we 
scampered  to  the  5th  storey  (there  are  more  still 
above  us)  and  to  this  said,  "No  onzieme."  .  .  . 

We  lost  no  time  in  the  evening  in  looking  about 
us ;  the  town  is  situated  about  two  miles  up  the 
Seine  on  a  sort  of  Peninsula  surrounded  with  very 
regular  and  strong  fortifications.  Its  docks  are 
incomparable,  and  Bonaparte  would  have  added  still 
more  to  their  magnificence,  but  now  all  is  at  a 
stand — the  grass  is  quietly  filling  up  spaces  hitherto 
taken  up  by  soldiers,  Workmen,  shot  and  guns ;  the 
numberless  merchant  vessels  in  a  state  of  decay 
proved  sufficiently  the  entire  destruction  of  all  trade  ; 
but  what  gave  me  particular  satisfaction  was  the 
sight  of  a  flotilla  of  Praams,  luggers,  intended  for 
the  invasion  of  England,  all  reposing  in  a  happy 
progress  to  speedy  putrefaction  and  decay.  About 
a  mile  from  the  town  on  the  hill  is  a  beautiful  village 
called  St.  Michel,  where  the  Havre  citizens  have 
country  houses.  The  town  itself  is  as  singular  as 
heart  can  wish — indeed,  I  am  firmly  convinced  that 
the  difference  between  the  towns  of  the  Earth  and 
Moon  is  not  greater  than  that  between  those  of 
England  and  France.  I  scarcely  know  how  to 
describe  it  to  you.  Conceive  to  yourself  a  long 
street  of  immensely  tall  houses  from  5  to  8  Stories, 
huddled,  for  huddling  is  the  only  word  which  can 
convey  my  meaning,  and  in  truth  their  extraordinary 
height  and  narrow  breadth  seem  rather  the  effect  of 


1814]  OLDENBURG  BONNETS  101 

compression  than  design.  .  .  .  These  houses  are 
inhabited  by  various  families  of  various  occupations 
and  tastes,  so  that  each  Storey  has  its  own  peculiar 
character — here  you  see  a  smart  Balcony  with 
windows  to  the  ground,  garnished  above  and  below 
with  the  insignia  of  washing  woman  or  taylor.  They 
are  built  of  all  materials,  though  I  think  chiefly  of 
wood  (like  our  old  Cheshire  houses)  and  stucco ; 
and,  thanks  to  time  and  the  filth  and  poverty  of  the 
people,  their  exterior  assumes  a  general  tint  of 
pleasing  dirty  picturesque.  This  said  dirt  may  have 
its  advantages  as  far  as  the  eye  is  concerned,  but  the 
nose  is  terribly  assailed  by  the  innumerable  com- 
pounded Effluvias  which  flow  from  every  Alley-hole 
and  corner.  For  the  people  and  their  dress !  who 
shall  venture  to  describe  the  things  I  have  seen  in 
the  shape  of  caps,  hats  and  bonnets,  cloaks  and 
petticoats,  &c.  ?  There  I  meet  a  group  of  Oldenburg 
Bonnets  broader  and  more  loaded  with  flowers, 
bunches,  bows,  plumes  than  any  we  saw  in  London, 
and  would  you  believe  it  I  am  already  not  merely 
getting  reconciled  but  absolutely  an  admirer  of 
them. 

Having  passed  the  groups  of  bonnets  I  meet  at 
the  next  moment  a  set  of  beings  ycleped  Poissardes, 
caparisoned  with  coverings  of  all  sorts,  shapes,  and 
sizes — here  flaps  a  head  decorated  with  lappets  like 
butterflies'  wings — here  nods  a  bower  of  cloth  and 
pins  tall  and  narrow  as  the  houses  themselves,  but 
I  must  not  be  too  prolix  on  any  one  particular 
subject. 


102        BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Sunday. 

We  have  been  to  the  great  Church.  It  was  full, 
very  full,  but  the  congregation  nearly  all  female. 

There  is  certainly  something  highly  imposing  and 
impressive  in  that  general  spirit  of  outward  devotion 
at  least  which  pervades  all  ranks.  Nothing  can  be 
finer  than  their  music :  we  had  a  sermon,  too,  and 
not  a  bad  one.  The  order  of  things  is  somewhat 
reversed.  In  England  we  wear  white  bands  and 
black  gown,  here  the  preacher  had  black  bands  and 
white  gown,  and  I  fear  the  eloquence  of  St.  Paul 
would  not  prevent  the  smiles  of  my  hearers  in 
Alderley  Church  were  I  to  pop  on  my  head  in  the 
middle  of  the  discourse  a  little  black  cap  of  which 
I  enclose  an  accurate  representation. 

What  shall  I  say  of  political  feeling?  I  think 
they  appear  to  think  or  care  very  little  about  it  ; 
the  military  are  certainly  dissatisfied  and  the  Inn- 
keepers delighted,  but  further  I  know  not  what  to 
tell  you ;  I  am  told,  however,  that  the  new  pro- 
clamation for  the  more  decent  observance  of  Sunday, 
by  forcing  the  Shopkeepers  to  shut  up  their  shops 
during  Mass,  is  considered  a  great  grievance 

LETTER  II. 

ROUEN,  June  28,  1814. 

Foolish  people  are  those  who  say  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  cross  the  water  for  a  week.  For  a  week ! 
why,  for  an  hour,  for  a  minute,  it  would  be  worth 
the  trouble— in  a  glance  a  torrent  of  news,  ideas, 


1814]  "FUGIO  UT  FULGOR"  103 

feelings,  and  conceptions  are  poured  in  which  are 
valuable  through  life.  We  staid  at  Havre  till 
Monday  morning,  and  though  a  Cantab  friend  of 
Edward's,  on  bundling  into  his  cabriolet,  expressed 
his  astonishment  we  would  think  of  staying  a  day, 
when  he  had  seen  more  than  enough  of  the  filthy 
place  in  an  hour,  we  amused  ourselves  very  well  till 
the  moment  of  departure 

At  4  on  Monday  we  stepped  into  the  cabriolet  or 
front  part  of  our  diligence,  on  the  panels  of  which 
was  written  "  Fugio  ut  Fulgor,"  and  though  ap- 
pearances were  certainly  against  anything  like  com- 
pliance with  this  notice,  the  result  was  much  nearer 
than  I  could  have  conceived.  Five  horses  were 
yoked  to  this  unwieldy  caravan — two  to  the  pole, 
and  three  before,  and  on  one  of  these  pole  horses 
mounted  a  Driver  without  Stockings  in  Jack  Boots, 
crack  went  an  enormous  whip,  and  away  galloped 
our  5  coursers.  It  is  astonishing  how  they  can  be 
managed  by  such  simple  means,  yet  so  it  was ;  we 
steered  to  a  nicety  sometimes  in  a  trot,  sometimes 
in  a  canter,  sometimes  on  a  full  gallop. 

The  time  for  changing  horses  by  my  watch  was 
not  more  than  one  minute — before  you  knew  one 
stage  was  passed  another  was  commenced ;  they  gave 
us  5  minutes  to  eat  our  breakfast — an  operation 
something  like  that  of  ducks  in  a  platter,  the  dish 
consisting  of  coffee  and  milk  with  rolls  sopped  in 
it.  The  roads  are  incomparable — better  than  ours 
and  nearly  if  not  quite  as  good  as  the  Irish.  The 
country  from  Havre  to  Rouen  is  rich  in  corn  of 


104        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

every  description — there  is  nothing  particular  in  the 
face  of  it,  and  yet  you  would,  if  awakened  from  a 
dream,  at  once  declare  you  were  not  in  England  ;  in 
the  first  place  there  are  no  hedges — the  road  was 
almost  one  continuous  avenue  of  apple-trees ;  the 
timber  trees  are  not  planted  in  hedgerows  but  in 
little  clumps  or  groves,  sometimes  but  generally 
rather  removed  from  the  road,  and  it  is  amongst 
these  that  the  villages  and  cottages  are  concealed, 
for  it  is  surprising  how  few  in  comparison  with 
England  are  seen.  The  trees  are  of  two  de- 

o 

scriptions — either  trimmed  up  to  the  very  top  or  cut 
off  so  as  to  form  underwood.  I  did  not  observe  one 
that  could  be  called  a  branching  tree ;  the  finest  beech 
we  saw  looked  like  a  pole  with  a  tuft  upon  it.  The 
cottages  are  mostly  of  clay,  generally  speaking  very 
clean,  and  coming  nearer  to  what  I  should  define  a 
cottage  to  be  than  ours  in  England. 

You  see  no  cows  in  the  fields,  they  are  all  tethered 
by  the  road-side  or  other  places,  by  which  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  grass  must  be  saved,  and  each 
is  attended  by  an  old  woman  or  child.  We  passed 
through  2  or  3  small  towns  and  entered  Rouen 
8  hours  after  quitting  Havre,  57  miles.  Rouen, 
beautiful  Rouen,  we  entered  through  such  an  avenue 
of  noble  trees,  its  spires,  hills  and  woods  peeping 
forth,  and  the  Seine  winding  up  the  country,  wide 
as  the  Thames  at  Chelsea. 

Such  a  gateway!  I  have  made  a  sketch,  but 
were  I  to  work  it  up  for  a  month  it  would  still  fall 
far  short  and  be  an  insult  to  the  subject  it  attempts 


1814]  SOLDIERS  OF  THE  EMPIRE  105 

to  represent.  If  Havre  can  strike  the  eye  of  a 
stranger,  what  must  not  Rouen  do?  Every  step  teems 
with  novelty  and  richness,  Gothic  gateways,  halls, 
and  houses.  What  are  our  churches  and  cathedrals 
in  England  compared  to  the  noble  specimens  of 
Gothic  architecture  which  here  present  themselves  ? 
.  .  .  Rouen  has  scarcely  yet  recovered  from  the  dread 
they  were  in  of  the  Cossacks,  who  were  fully  ex- 
pected, and  all  valuables  secreted — not  that  they 
were  absolutely  without  news  from  the  capital  :  the 
diligence  had  been  stopped  only  once  during  the 
three  days  after  the  Allies  entered  Paris.  Till  then 
they  had  proceeded  comme  a  r ordinaire,  and  the 
diligence  in  which  we  are  to  proceed  to-night  left  it 
when  Shots  were  actually  passing  over  the  road 
during  the  battle  of  Montmartre — how  they  could 
find  passengers  to  quit  it  at  such  an  interesting 
moment  I  cannot  conceive  ;  had  I  been  sure  of  being 
eaten  up  by  a  Horde  of  Cossacks,  I  could  not  have 
left  the  spot. 

What  an  odd  people  the  French  are !  they  will 
not  allow  they  were  in  ignorance  of  public  affairs 
before  the  entrance  of  the  Allies.  "  Oh  no,  we  had 
the  Gazettes,"  they  say,  and  1  cannot  find  that  they 
considered  these  Gazettes  as  doubtful  authorities. 
We  have  plenty  of  troops  here — genuine  veterans 
horse  and  foot ;  I  saw  them  out  in  line  yesterday. 
The  men  were  soldier-like  looking  fellows  enough, 
but  one  of  our  cavalry  regiments  would  have 
trotted  over  their  horses  in  a  minute  without  much 
ceremony  ;  the  army  is  certainly  dissatisfied.  Mar- 


106       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

mont  is  held  in  great  contempt ;  they  will  have  it  he 
betrayed  Paris,  and  say  it  would  be  by  no  means 
prudent  for  him  to  appear  at  the  head  of  a  line 
when  there  was  any  firing.  The  people  may  or 
may  not  like  their  emancipation  from  tyranny,  but 
their  vanity — they  call  it  glory — has  been  tarnished 
by  the  surrender  of  Paris,  and  they  declare  on  all 
hands  that  if  Marmont  had  held  out  for  a  day 
Bonaparte  would  have  arrived,  and  in  an  instant 
settled  the  business  by  defeating  the  Allies.  In 
vain  may  you  hint  that  he  was  inferior  in  point 
of  numbers  (to  say  anything  of  the  skill  and 
merit  of  the  Russians  perhaps  would  not  have 
been  very  prudent),  and  that  he  could  not  have 
succeeded.  A  doubting  shake  of  the  head,  signifi- 
cant shrug  of  the  shoulders,  and  expressive  "  Ba, 
Ba,"  explain  well  enough  their  opinions  on  the 
subject. 

I  cannot  conceive  a  more  grating  badge  to  the 
officers  than  the  white  cockade — the  fleur  de  lys  is 
now  generally  adopted  in  place  of  the  N  and  other 
insignia  of  Bonaparte,  but,  excepting  from  some 
begging  boys,  I  have  never  heard  the  cry  of  "  Vive 
Louis  XVIII.!"  and  then  it  was  done,  I  shrewdly 
suspect,  as  an  acceptable  cry  for  the  Anglois,  and 
followed  immediately  by  "  un  pauvre  petit  Hard,  s'il 
vous  plait,  Mons."  We  went  to  the  play  last  night ; 
the  house  was  filthy  beyond  description,  and  the 
company  execrable  as  far  as  dress  went;  few 
women,  and  those  in  their  morning  dress  and 
Oldenburg  Bonnets— the  men  almost  all  officers, 


"VIVE  NAPOLEON!"  107 

and  a  horrid-looking  set  they  were.     I  would  give 
them  credit  for  military  talents  ;  they  all  looked  like 
chiefs  of  banditti — swarthy  visages,  immense  mous 
tachios,    vulgar,   disgusting,    dirty,  and  ill-bred    in 
their  appearance. 

From  all  I  hear  the  account  of  the  duels  between 
these  and  the  Russian  officers  at  Paris  were 
perfectly  correct.1 

I  am  just  come  in  from  a  stroll  about  the  town. 
Among  the  most  interesting  circumstances  that 
occurred  was  the  inspection  of  detachments  of 
several  regiments  quartered  there.  I  happened  to 
be  close  to  the  General  when  he  addressed  some 
Grenadiers  de  la  Garde  Imperiale  on  the  subject  of 
their  dismissal,  which  it  seems  they  wanted.  They 
spoke  to  him  without  any  respect,  and  on  his  ex- 
plaining the  terms  on  which  their  dismissal  could 
alone  be  had,  they  appeared  by  no  means  satisfied, 
and  when  he  went  I  heard  one  of  them  in  talking 
to  a  party  collected  round  him  say,  "  Eh  bien,  s'il 
ne  veut  pas  nous  congedier,  nous  passerons."  A 
man  standing  by  told  me  a  short  time  ago  a 
regiment  of  Imperial  Chasseurs  when  called  upon 
to  shout  "  Vive  Louis  XVIII. !  "  at  Boulogne,  to  a 
man,  officers  included,  cried  "Vive  Napoleon !"  and 
I  feel  very  certain  that  had  the  same  thing  been 
required  to-day  from  the  soldiers  on  the  field,  they 

1  "  After  the  Restoration  of  the  Bourbons  several  duels  took 
place  for  the  most  frivolous  causes.  Duels  were  fought  even 
by  night.  The  officers  of  the  Swiss  guards  were  constantly 
measuring  swords  with  the  officers  of  the  old  '  Garde  Imperiale  ' " 
Gronow's  Memoirs,  vol.  ii.  p.  22). 


108       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

would  have  acted  in  the  same  manner,  and  that  the 
spectators  would  have  cried  "  Amen." 

I  heard  abundance  of  curious  remarks  on  the 
subject  of  the  war,  the  peace,  and  the  changes ; 
they  will  have  it  they  were  not  conquered.  "  Oh 
no."  "  Paris  ne  fut  jamais  vaincue — elle  s'est  soumise 
seulement !  "  I  leave  it  to  your  English  heads  to 
define  the  difference  between  submission  and 
conquest. 

Beef  and  mutton  are  5d.  per  Ib.  here.  Chickens 
35.  the  couple,  though  24  per  cent,  was  probably 
added  to  me  as  an  Englishman.  Bread  a  100  per 
cent,  cheaper  than  in  England — at  least  so  I  was 
informed  by  an  Englishman  in  the  commercial  line. 
Fish  cheap  as  dirt  at  Havre,  3  John  Dorys 
for  6d. 

From  Havre  to  Rouen,  57  miles,  cost  us  £i  6s. 
for  both  ;  from  thence  to  Paris,  107  miles,  £2  ;  our 
dinners,  including  wine,  are  about  45.  a  head ; 
breakfast  2s.,  beds  is.  6d.  each. 

LETTER  III. 

PARIS,  June  y>th. 
Here  we  arrived  about  an  hour  aoro  ;  for  the  last 

.  o       * 

two  miles  the  country  was  a  perfect  garden — 
cherries,  gooseberries,  apple-trees,  corn,  vineyards, 
all  chequered  together  in  profusion ;  in  other 
respects  nothing  remarkable.  .  .  . 

The  first  sight  of  Paris,  or  rather  its  situation,  is 
about  10  miles  off,  when  the  heights  of  Montmartre, 
on  one  side,  and  the  dome  of  the  Hopital  des 


1814]  A  WALK  THROUGH  PARIS  109 

Invalides  on  the  other  reminded  us  of  their  trophies 
and  disasters  at  the  same  time.  .  .  . 

Now  you  must  enter  our  rooms  in  1' Hotel  des 
Etrangers,  rue  du  Hazard,  as  I  know  you  wish  to 
see  minutely.  First  walk,  if  you  please,  into  an 
antechamber  paved  with  red  hexagon  tiles  (dirty 
enough,  to  be  sure),  and  the  saloon  also,  into  which 
you  next  enter  through  a  pair  of  folding  doors.  This 
saloon  is  in  the  genuine  tawdry  French  style — gold 
and  silver  carving  work  and  dirt  are  the  component 
features.  It  is  about  20  feet  square,  plenty  of 
chairs,  sofas  of  velvet,  and  so  forth,  but  only  one 
wretched  rickety  table  in  the  centre.  Two  folding 
doors  open  into  our  bedroom,  which  is  in  furniture 
pretty  much  like  the  rest ;  the  beds  are  excellent — 
fitted  up  in  a  sort  of  tent  fashion — and  mine  has  a 
looking-glass  occupying  the  whole  of  one  side,  in 
which  I  may  at  leisure  contemplate  myself  in  my 
night-cap,  for  I  cannot  discover  for  what  other 
purpose  it  was  placed  there. 

Now  let  us  take  a  walk — put  on  thick  shoes  or 
you  will  find  yourself  rather  troubled  with  the 
paving  stones,  for  nothing  like  a  flagged  footpath 
exists  ;  a  slight  inclination  from  each  side  termi- 
nates in  a  central  gutter,  from  which  are  exploded 
showers  of  mud  by  the  passing  carriages  and  cabri- 
olets. You  must  get  on  as  you  can  ;  horse  and  foot, 
coaches  and  carts  are  jumbled  together,  and  he 
who  walks  in  Paris  must  have  his  eyes  about  him. 
The  streets  are  in  general  narrow  and  irregular,  and 
so  much  alike  that  it  requires  no  small  skill  to  find 


110        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

one's  way  home  again.  Ariadne  in  Paris  would 
wish  for  her  clue.  First  we  ascended  the  bronze 
column  x  in  the  Place  de  Vendome — figure  to  your- 
self a  column  perfect  in  proportions  much  resembling 
Nelson's  in  Dublin,  ornamented  after  the  plan  of 
Trajan's  pillar — all  of  bronze,  on  which  the  opera- 
tions of  the  wars  and  victories  in  Germany  are 
recorded.  Bonaparte's  statue  crowned  it,  but  that 
was  removed.  The  column  itself,  however,  will 
remain  an  eternal  statue  commemorating  his  deeds, 
and  though  the  Eagles  and  letter  N  are  rapidly 
effacing  from  every  quarter,  this  must  last  till  Paris 
shall  be  no  more.  From  the  top  of  this  pillar  you 
of  course  have  a  magnificent  view,  and  it  must  have 
been  a  choice  spot  from  whence  to  behold  the  fight 
of  Montmartre.  It  will  scarcely  interest  you  much 
to  say  much  about  the  other  public  buildings,  suffice 
it  to  say  that  all  the  improvements  are  in  the  very 
best  style — magnificent  to  the  last  degree  ;  they 
may  be  the  works  of  a  Tyrant,  but  it  was  a  Tyrant 
of  taste,  who  had  more  sense  than  to  spend 
i20,oco  Louis  in  sky-rockets.  His  public  buildings 
at  least  were  for  the  public  good,  and  were 
ornaments  to  his  capital. 

But  let  us  turn  from  inanimate  to  living  objects ; 
since  I  penned  the  last  line  I  have  been  sitting 
with  Mme.  de  Stael.  ...  By  appointment  we 

1  The  Colonne  Vendome.  This  stood  on  the  site  of  a  statue 
to  Louis  XIV.  which  had  been  melted  down  at  the  Revolution. 
It  was  made  of  Austrian  cannon  taken  during  the  years  from 
1806  to  1810. 


1814]    A  VISIT  TO  MADAME   DE  STAEL        111 

called  at  12.*  For  a  few  moments  we  waited  in  a 
gaudy  drawing-room  ;  the  door  then  opened  and 
an  elderly  form  dressed  a  la  jeunesse  appeared ; 
she  is  not  ugly  ;  she  is  not  vulgar  (Edward  begs 
to  differ  from  this  opinion,  he  thinks  her  ugly 
beyond  measure) ;  her  countenance  is  pleasing,  but 
very  different  from  anything  my  fancy  had  formed  ; 
a  pale  complexion  not  far  from  that  of  a  white 
Mulatto,  if  you  will  allow  me  to  make  the  bull ; 
her  eyebrows  dark  and  her  hair  quite  sable,  dry 
and  crisp  like  a  negro's,  though  not  quite  so 
curling.  She  scarcely  gave  me  time  to  make  my 
compliments  in  French  before  she  spoke  in  fluent 
English.  I  was  not  sorry  she  fought  under  British 
colors,  for  though  she  was  never  at  a  loss,  I  knew 
I  could  express  and  defend  myself  better  than  had 
she  spoken  in  French.  I  hurried  her  as  much  as 
decency  would  permit  from  one  subject  to  another, 
but  I  found  politics  were  uppermost  in  her 
thoughts.  .  .  .  She  was  equally  averse  to  both 
parties  —  to  the  royal  because  she  said  it  was 
despotism ;  the  Imperial  because  it  was  tyranny. 
"  Is  there,"  said  I,  "no  happy  medium  ;  are  there 
none  who  can  feel  the  advantages  of  liberty,  and  wish 
for  a  free  constitution?"  "None,"  said  she,  "but 
myself  and  a  few — some  1 2  or  1 5 — we  are  nothing  ; 
not  enough  to  make  a  dinner  party."  I  ventured 
to  throw  in  a  little  flattery — I  knew  my  ground — 

1  Madame  de  Stael  had  only  returned  to  France  after  her  long 
exile  a  few  weeks  after  Napoleon's  abdication.  Her  rooms  were 
in  the  Hdtel  de  Tamerzan,  105,  Rue  de  Crenelle  St.  Germain. 


and  remarked  that  an  opinion  like  hers,  which  had 
in  some  measure  influenced  Europe,  was  in  itself 
an  host ;  the  compliment  was  well  received,  and 
in  truth  I  could  offer  it  conscientiously  to  pay  tribute 
to  her  abilities. 

On  leaving  Mme.  de  S.  we  paid  another  visit. 
From  the  greatest  woman  we  went  to  see  our 
greatest  man  in  Paris,  Sir  Charles  Stuart,1  to  whom 
Lord  Sheffield  had  given  me  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion. This  had  been  sent  the  day  before,  and  of 
course  I  now  went  to  see  the  effect.  After  waiting 
in  the  Anti-chamber  of  the  great  man  for  about  hall 
an  hour,  and  seeing  divers  and  sundry  faces  pass  and 
repass  in  review,  we  were  summoned  to  an  audience. 
We  found  a  little,  vulgar-looking  man,  whom  I 
should  have  mistaken  for  the  great  man's  butler 
if  he  had  not  first  given  a  hint  that  he  was  bona 
fide  the  great  man  himself.  I  think  the  conversa- 
tion was  nearly  thus  :  E.  S.  :  "  Pray,  Sir,  are  the 
Marshalls  in  Paris,  and  if  so  is  it  easy  to  see 
them ? "  Sir  C.  S. :  "  Upon  my  soul  I  don't  know." 
E.  S.  :  "  Pray,  Sir,  is  there  anything  interesting 
to  a  stranger  like  myself  likely  to  take  place  in  the 
course  of  the  next  fortnight?"  Sir  C.  S.  :  "  Upon 

1  Stuart,  Sir  Charles,  1779-1845.  Eldest  son  of  Sir  C.  Stuart, 
General,  and  Louisa,  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Lord  Vere  Bertie. 
Minister  at  the  Hague  and  Ambassador  at  Paris,  and  later  on 
at  St.  Petersburg.  British  Envoy  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna. 
Created  Baron  Stuart  de  Rothesay  1841.  Married,  1816,  Lady 
Elizabeth  Yorke,  third  daughter  of  third  Earl  of  Hardwicke. 
Gronow  gives  a  more  favourable  account  of  him,  "  One  of  the 
most  popular  Ambassadors  Great  Britain  ever  sent  to  Paris." 


1814]          AN  ENGLISH  AMBASSADOR  113 

my  soul  I  don't  know."  E.  S. :  "  Pray,  Sir,  is  the 
interior  of  the  Thuilleries  worth  seeing,  and  could 
we  easily  see  the  apartments  ?  "  Sir  C.  S.  :  "  Upon 
my  soul  I  don't  know."  This,  I  do  assure  you,  was 
the  cream  of  the  conversation.  Now  certainly  a 
great  man  ought  to  look  wise  and  say  he  does  not 
know  so  and  so,  when  in  fact  he  knows  all  about 
it,  but  somehow  or  other  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  Sir  Charles  spoke  the  truth,  for  if  I  may  draw 
any  inference  from  Physiognomy,  I  never  saw  a  face 
upon  which  the  character  of  "upon  my  soul  I  don't 
know  "  was  more  visibly  stamped.  I  left  my  card, 
bowed,  and  retired.  .  .  . 

I  next  turned  my  eyes  to  the  Louvre.1  What  are 
the  exhibitions  of  London,  modern  or  ancient  ?  What 
are  Lord  Stafford's,  Grosvenor's,  Angerstein's,  &c., 
in  comparison  with  this  unrivalled  gallery  ?  Words 
cannot  describe  the  coup  d'ceil.  Figure  to  yourself  a 
magnificent  room  so  long  that  you  would  be  unable 
to  recognise  a  person  at  the  other  extremity,  so  long 
that  the  perspective  lines  terminate  in  a  point, 
covered  with  the  finest  works  of  art  all  classed  and 
numbered  so  as  to  afford  the  utmost  facility  of 
inspection ;  no  questions  asked  on  entering,  no 
money  to  be  given  to  bowing  porters  or  butlers, 
no  cards  of  admission  procured  by  interest — all  open 
to  the  public  view,  unfettered  and  unshackled  ;  the 
liberality  of  the  exhibition  is  increased  by  the 
appearance  of  Easels  and  desks  occupied  by  artists 

1  Under  the  Treaty  of  Paris  France  had  been  allowed  to  keep 
the  Art  Treasures  taken  by  Napoleon. 

8 


114       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

who  copy  at  leisure.  It  is  noble  and  grand  beyond 
imagination.  In  the  Halls  below  are  the  Statues, 
arranged  with  equal  taste,  though,  as  they  are  in 
different  rooms,  the  general  effect  is  not  so  striking. 
I  recognised  all  my  old  friends,  the  Venus  de 
Medicis  was  alone  new  to  me.  She  is  sadly  muti- 
lated, but  is  still  the  admiration  of  all  persons  of 
sound  judgment  and  orthodox  taste,  amongst  whom, 
I  regret  to  say,  I  deserve  not  to  be  classed,  as  I 
really  cannot  enter  into  the  merits  of  statues,  and 
the  difference  between  a  perfect  and  moderate 
specimen  of  sculpture  appears  to  me  infinitely  less 
than  between  good  and  moderate  paintings.  .  .  . 

After  dining  at  a  Restaurateur's,  who  gave  us  a 
most  excellent  dinner,  wine,  &c.,  for  about  35.  a 
head,  we  went  to  the  Theatre  Fran9ais,  or  the 
Drury  Lane  of  Paris.  We  expected  to  see  Talma1 
in  Merope,  but  his  part  was  taken  by  one  who  is 
equally  famous,  Dufour,  and  the  female  part  by 
Mme.  Roncour.  She  was  intolerable,  though  appa- 
rently a  great  favourite  ;  he  tolerable,  and  that  is 
all  I  can  say.  In  truth,  French  tragedy  is  little  to 
my  taste.  .  .  .  The  best  part  of  the  play  was  the 
opportunity  it  afforded  "  les  bonnes  gens  "  de  Paris 
to  show  their  loyalty,  and  much  gratified  I  was 
in  hearing  some  enthusiastic  applause  of  certain 
passages  as  they  applied  to  the  return  of  their 
ancient  sovereign.  There  is  something  very  sombre 
and  vulgar  in  the  French  playhouses  with  the  men's 
boots  and  the  women's  bonnets.  Could  I  in  an  instant 
1  Talma,  the  celebrated  tragic  actor,  1763-1826, 


f 


1814]  VANISHED  TROPHIES  115 

waft  you  from  the  solitudes  of  Stoke  to  the  clatter 
of  Paris,  how  you  would  stare  to  see  the  boxes  filled 
with  persons  almost  extinguished  in  their  enormous 
casques  of  straw  and  flowers.  I  have  seen  several 
bearing,  in  addition  to  other  ornaments,  a  bunch  of 
5  or  6  lilies  as  large  as  life.  .  .  . 

LETTER  IV. 

PARIS,  July  8,  1814. 

You  will  take  for  granted  we  have  seen  all  the 
exhibitions,  libraries,  &c.,  of  Paris  ;  they  will  wait 
for  more  ample  description — a  glance  on  one  or  two 
will  be  sufficient. 

L'Hopital  des  Invalides  was,  you  know,  famous 
for  its  magnificent  dome,  which  was  decorated  with 
flags,  standards,  and  trophies  of  the  victorious  arms 
of  France ;  impatient  to  shew  them  to  Edward,  I 
hastened  thither,  but  alas,  not  a  pennant  remains. 
On  the  near  approach  of  the  Allies  they  were  taken 
down,  and  some  say  burnt,  others  buried,  others 
removed  to  a  distance.  I  asked  one  of  the  Invalides 
whether  the  Allies  had  not  got  possession  of  a  few. 
With  great  indignation  and  animation  he  exclaimed, 
"  Je  suis  aussi  sur  que  je  suis  de  mon  existence  qu'il 
n'ont  pas  pris  un  seul  meme." 

On  Sunday  last,  after  having  hunted  everywhere 
for  a  Protestant  church,  one  of  which  we  found  at 
last  by  some  blunder  quite  empty,  we  went  with 
our  landlord,  a  serjeant  in  the  national  guard,  to 
inspect  the  heights  of  Chaumont,  Belleville,  and 
Mt.  Martre.  .  .  .  We  ascended  from  the  town  for 


116        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

about  3  miles  to  a  sort  of  large  rambling  village,  in 
situation  and  circumstances  somewhat  like  Highgate. 
This  was  Belleville,  whose  heights  run  on  receding 
from  Paris  a  considerable  distance,  but  terminate 
rather  abruptly  in  the  direction  of  Mont   Martre, 
from  which  they  are  separated  by  a  low,  swampy 
valley   containing   all    the   dead   horses,   filth,   and 
exuvious  putrefactions  of  Paris.  .  .  .   Immediately 
below,  extending  for  many  miles,  including  St.  Denis 
and   other   villages,    are   fine   plains;    upon  which 
plains  about  3   in  the  morning  the    Russians   de- 
ployed, and  the  Spectacle  must  have  been  interest- 
ing  beyond    measure.  ...  On    the    heights    and 
towards  the  base  were  assembled  part  of  Marmont's  l 
army  with  their  field  pieces  and  some  few  heavier 
guns;  there,  too,   were  stationed  the  greater   part 
of  the   students   of  1'Ecole    Polytechnique,    corre- 
sponding to  our  Woolwich  cadets.     Nothing  could 
surpass  their  conduct  when  their  brethren  in  arms 
fled ;  they  clung  to  their  guns  and  were  nearly  all 
annihilated.     I  was  assured  that  their  bodies  were 
found  in  masses  on  the  spot  were  they  were  origi- 
nally stationed ;  their  number  was  about  300.  .  .  . 
I  met  a  few  in  the  course  of  the  day  who  were,  like 
ourselves,  contemplating  the  field  of  battle,  and  who 
spoke  like  the  rest  of  their  countrymen  of  the  base- 

1  On  March  3oth  the  Allies  marched  on  Paris.  They  attacked 
in  three  divisions — the  Silesian  army  on  the  side  of  Mont- 
martre,  Prince  Eugene  of  Wurtemberg  and  Barclay  de  Tolly 
by  Pantin  and  Romainville,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Wurtemburg 
by  Vincennes  and  Charenton.  Marmont  surrendered  the  same 
day. 


1814]    THE  HEIGHTS  OF  MONTMARTRE        117 

ness  of  Marmont  and  treachery  of  the  day.  The 
cannonade  must  have  been  pretty  sharp  while  it 
lasted,  as  about  5,000  Russians  perished  before  they 
got  possession  of  the  heights — though  the  actual 
operation  of  storming  did  not  occupy  half  an  hour — 
but  their  lines  were  quite  open  to  a  severe  fire  of 
grape  from  eminences  commanding  every  inch  of 
the  plain.  Whilst  this  work  was  going  on  at 
Belleville,  another  Russian  column  performed  a 
similar  service  at  Mt.  Martre,  which  is  nearer  Paris 
—in  fact,  immediately  above  the  Barriers.  .  .  . 
Thither  our  guide  next  conducted  us,  and  pointed 
out  the  particular  spots  where  the  assault  and 
carnage  were  most  desperate.  A  number  of  Parties 
were  walking  about  and  all  talking  of  the  battle  or 
Bonaparte.  .  .  .  Till  this  day  I  had  never  heard 
him  openly  and  honestly  avowed,  but  here  I  had 
several  opportunities  of  incorporating  myself  in 
groups  in  which  his  name  was  bandied  about  with 
every  invective  which  French  hatred  and  fluency 
could  invent.  Their  tongues,  like  Baron  Mun- 
chausen's  horn,  seemed  to  run  with  an  accumulated 
rapidity  from  the  long  embargo  laid  upon  them. 
"  Sacre  gueux,  bete,  voleur,"  &c.,  were  the  current 
coin  in  which  they  repaid  his  despotism,  and  I  was 
happy  to  find  that  his  conduct  in  Spain  was  by  all 
held  in  utter  detestation  and  considered  as  the 
ground  work  of  his  ruin. 

I  saw  one  party  in  such  a  state  of  bodily  and 
mental  agitation  that  I  ran  up  expecting  to  see  a 
battle,  but  the  multiplicity  of  hands,  arms,  and  legs 


118       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

which  were  rising,  falling,  wheeling,  and  kicking, 
were  merely  energetic  additions  to  the  general  sub- 
ject. .  .  .  The  National  'guard  were  not  (with  few 
exceptions)  actually  engaged.  To  the  amount  of 
36,000  they  occupied  the  towns  and  barriers,  by  all 
accounts  guessing,  or,  as  one  intelligent  conductor 
assured  us,  very  certain  that  they  would  not  be 
called  upon  to  fight  much  for  the  defence  of  Paris. 
.  .  .  Indeed,  from  all  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  and 
from  all  I  have  been  able  to  see,  it  appears  pretty 
clear  that  no  serious  defence  was  intended — a  little 
opposition  was  necessary  for  the  look  of  the  thing. 
And  although  Marmont  might  have  done  more,  I 
feel  convinced  that  had  he  exerted  himself  to  the 
utmost,  Paris  must  have  perished. 

The  heights  were  defended  in  a  very  inadequate 
and  unsoldierlike  manner  ;  not  a  single  work  was 
thrown  up  before  the  guns,  no  entrenchments,  no 
bastions,  and  yet  with  three  days'  notice  all  this 
might  have  easily  been  done.  The  barriers  all 
round  Paris  were,  and  still  are,  hemmed  round  with 
Palisades  with  loop  holes,  each  of  which  might  have 
been  demolished  by  half  a  dozen  rounds  from  a  6- 
pounder  ;  the  French,  indeed,  laugh  at  them  and 
consider  them  as  mere  divertissements  of  Bona- 
parte's, and  feeble  attempts  to  excite  a  spirit  of 
defence  amongst  the  people — a  spirit  which,  for- 
tunately for  Europe,  was  never  excited.  The  lads 
of  Paris  had  determined  to  take  their  chance  and 
not  to  do  one  atom  more  than  they  were  called 
upon  or  compelled  to  do.  These  wooden  barriers 


1814]     COSSACKS  AT  CHAMPS  ELYSEES      119 

are  made  of  le  bois  de  tremble  (aspen),  and  the 
pun  was  that  the  fortifications  "tremblaient  par- 
tout."  You  will  like  to  hear  something  of  Edge- 
worth's  friend,  St.  Jean  d'Angely  ;  l  he  came  up 
to  the  barrier  where  our  landlord  (who  had  been 
formerly  an  imperial  guardsman  and  fought  in  the 
battle  of  Marengo)  was  posted  ;  here  he  called 
loudly  for  some  brandy,  for  which  he  got  laughed  at 
by  the  whole  line  of  guard ;  he  then  sallied  forth 
and  proceeded  a  short  distance,  when  his  horse  took 
fright,  and  as  St.  Jean  was,  as  our  landlord  told  us, 
"entierement  du  meme  avis  avec  son  cheval,"  they 
both  set  off  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  were  in 
a  few  minutes  far  beyond  all  danger,  nor  did  they 
appear  again  amid  the  din  of  arms.  The  fate  of 
Paris  was  decided  with  a  rapidity  and  sang-froid 
quite  astonishing.  By  5  o'clock  in  the  Evening  all 
was  entirely  at  an  end,  and  the  national  guard  and 
allies  incorporated  and  doing  the  usual  duty  of  the 
town.  They  were,  indeed,  under  arms  a  little 
longer  than  usual,  and  a  few  more  sentries  were 
placed  and  the  theatre  not  open  that  Evening, 
but  that  single  evening  was  the  only  exception, 
and  the  next  day  the  Palais  Royal  was  as  brilliant 
and  more  cheerful  than  ever,  with  its  motley  groups 
of  visitors.  The  Cossacks  were  not  quartered 
in  the  Palais  Royal,  they  were  in  the  Ch.  Elysees,  the 
trees  of  which  bear  visible  marks  of  their  horses' teeth, 
but  a  good  many  came  in  from  curiosity  and  hung 
their  horses  in  the  open  space  of  the  Palais.  .  .  . 

1  Regnaud  St.  Jean  d'Angely,  1762-1819. 


120       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

The  Russian  discipline  was  most  severe,  and  not  an 
article  was  taken  from  any  individual  with  impunity, 
immediate  death  was  the  punishment.  The  field  of 
battle  bore  few  marks  of  the  event — a  few  skeletons 
of  horses  and  rags  of  uniforms  ;  the  more  surprising 
thing  is  that,  notwithstanding  all  the  trampling  of 
horse  and  foot  on  the  plains  below  so  late  as  the 
end  of  March,  the  corn  has  not  suffered  in  the 
slightest  degree.  I  wish  the  Alderley  crops  were  as 
good. 

You  have  no  idea  of  the  severity  of  the  con- 
scription. That  men  can  be  attached  to  a  being 
who  dragged  them,  with  such  violence  to  every 
feeling,  from  their  homes  would  be  astonishing,  but 
for  the  well-known  force  of  the  " selfish  principle" 
which  amalgamates  their  glory  with  his.  A  friend 
of  our  landlord's  paid  at  various  times  1 8,000  fr., 
about  ^900  ;  he  thought  himself  safe,  but  Bonaparte 
wanted  a  Volunteer  guard  of  honour ;  he  was  told 
it  would  be  prudent  to  enroll  himself,  which  in 
consideration  of  the  great  sums  he  had  paid  would 
be  merely  a  nominal  business,  and  that  he  would 
never  be  called  upon.  He  did  put  his  name  down  ; 
was  called  out  in  a  trice  and  shot  in  the  next 
campaign.  Our  waiter  at  Rouen  assured  me  his 
friends  had  bought  him  off  by  giving  in  the  first 
instance  ^25  for  a  substitute,  with  an  annuity  to  the 
said  substitute  of  an  equal  sum — pretty  well  this, 
for  a  poor  lad  of  about  16. 

Thanks  to  our  landlord  and  not  to  Sir  Charles 
Stuart,  we  might  have  been  introduced  into  the 


1814]     NAPOLEON'S  LEGACY  OF   DEBT         121 

Thuilleries,  but  came  too  late.  We  lost  nothing, 
as  after  Mass  the  King  marched  through  a  beautiful 
sort  of  Glass  gallery  facing  the  Thuilleries  Gardens, 
and  then  came  out  into  a  Balcony  to  shew  himself 
to  the  crowd  there  assembled  !  he  was  received  with 
universal  and  loud  applause.  "Vive  le  Roi !  "  was 
heard  as  loud  as  heart  could  wish,  hats,  sticks  and 
handkerchiefs  were  flying  in  all  directions.  When 
he  entered  Paris,  in  one  of  the  Barriers  a  sort  of 
Archway  was  made  and  so  contrived  that  as  the 
carriage  passed  under  a  crown  fell  upon  it,  a  band 
at  the  same  time  striking  up  "  Ou  peut  on  etre 
mieux  que  dans  le  sein  de  sa  famille,"  which  is, 
you  know,  one  of  their  favourite  airs. 

Poor  man,  he  has  enough  to  do,  and  will,  I  fear, 
experience  a  turbulent  reign.  Bonaparte  has  left 
his  troops  3  years  in  arrears,  the  treasury  empty, 
two  parties  equally  clamourous  for  places  and 
pensions,  both  of  which  must  be  satisfied.  Their 
taxes  are  heavier  than  I  thought  they  were.  Our 
landlord  has  an  estate  worth  about  2,000  frcs.,  his 
father  paid  200  fr.  a  year  for  it,  and  he  is  now  under 
the  necessity  of  paying  1,200,  having  only  a  clear 
surplus  of  800,  and  the  finances  are  at  too  low  an 
ebb  to  allow  of  any  immediate  reduction  in  their 
taxes.  .  .  . 

To  take  things  in  their  course,  I  must  now 
proceed  to  my  dinner  at  Sir  Charles  Stuart's.  I 
was  shewn  into  a  room  where  I  found  three  or  four 
Englishmen  gaping  at  one  another.  Before  many 
more  had  assembled,  in  came  Sir  C.,  and  I  believe, 


122       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

or  rather  I  am  willing  to  flatter  myself,  he  made  a 
sort  of  half  bow  towards  us,  and  then  we  stood  and 
gaped  again ;  a  few  more  words  between  him  and 
one  or  two  who  were  to  go  to  Court  the  day  after, 
but  to  me  and  some  others  not  a  syllable  of  any 
description  was  uttered,  and  when  some  more 
English  were  shewn  in  who  were,  I  presume,  as 
respectable  as  myself,  his  behaviour  was  quite 
boorish,  he  did  not  condescend  to  look  towards 
the  door.  These  things  went  on  till  a  throng 
of  Spaniards  with  Stars  and  orders  came  in  ;  with 
these  he  appeared  tolerably  intimate,  and  also  with 
three  Englishmen  who  afterwards  appeared.  We 
were  about  24  in  number,  and  all  I  had  to  do  in  the 
half-hour  preceding  dinner  was  to  look  out  for  the 
most  intelligent,  gentlemanlike-looking  Englishman 
I  could,  to  secure  a  place  by  him.  .  .  . 

You  will  ask  who  I  met.  I  protest  to  you  that  I 
went  and  returned  without  being  able  to  learn  more 
than  that  the  secretary's  name  was  Bidwell,  and 
that  one  other  person  in  company  was  a  Mr.  Martin, 
who  had  been  agent  for  prisoners  ;  of  the  rest  I 
knew  nothing,  not  even  of  my  neighbour ;  birth, 
parentage,  and  education  were  alike  involved  in 
the  cloud  of  diplomatic  mystery  which  seemed 
to  impend  heavily  over  this  mansion,  and  when 
my  neighbour  asked  me,  or  I  asked  him,  the 
names  of  any  person  present  the  answer  was  mutual 
— "  I  don't  know."  Sir  Charles  sat  in  the  centre 
with  a  gold-coated  Don  on  each  side  of  him,  with 
whom  he  might  have  whispered,  for  though  I  sat 


1814]  JARDIN  DBS  PLANTES  123 

within  two  of  his  Excellency,  I  never  heard  the 
sound  of  his  voice  :  however,  my  opinion  may  not 
coincide  with  all  that  pass  from  Calais  to  Dover, 
as  I  heard  one  man  remark  to  another  that  his 
countenance  was  very  pleasing,  to  which  was 
added  in  reply,  "and  he  is  a  very  sensible  man." 
These  things  may  be,  but  I  never  met  with  one 
more  perfect  in  the  art  of  concealing  his  talents. 

Now  for  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  and  its  lectures. 
This  same  Jardin  is  a  large  space  appropriated  to 
Botanical  pursuits,  public  walks,  menageries, 
museums,  &c.  There  you  see  Bears  and  Lions 
and,  in  fact,  the  finest  collection  of  Birds  and 
Beasts  alive,  some  in  little  paddocks,  others  in 
clean  and  airy  dens.  But  this  is  the  least  part 
of  this  delightful  establishment  ;  its  museums  and 
cabinets  are  like  the  Louvre,  the  finest  collection 
in  the  world.  Everything  is  arranged  in  such 
order  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  see  it  without 
feeling  a  love  of  science  ;  here  the  mineralogist, 
geologist,  naturalist,  entomologist  may  each  pursue 
his  favourite  studies  unmolested.  Here,  as  every- 
where else,  the  utmost  liberality  is  shewn  to  all, 
but  to  Englishmen  particularly,  your  country  is 
your  passport.  Like  the  mysterious  "  Open  Sesame  " 
in  the  Arabian  nights,  you  have  only  to  say,  "  Je  suis 
Anglais  "  and  you  go  in  and  out  at  pleasure.  I  have 
seen  Frenchmen  begging  in  vain  with  ladies  and 
officers  of  the  party  and  turned  away  because  they 
had  happened  on  the  wrong  day  or  hour,  and  then 
we,  without  solicitation,  have  been  desired  to  walk 


124       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

in.  But  all  these  museums  and  living  animals, 
curious  and  interesting  as  they  are,  are  surpassed 
by  the  still  greater  liberality  shewn  in  the  daily 
lectures  given  by  the  members  of  the  Institute  or 
Professors  of  the  several  sciences.  I  have  attended 
Haiiy,1  Dumeril,2  1'Ettorel,  du  Mare,  and  others 
upon  Mineralogy,  Nat.  Hist.,  and  Entomology, 
and  Haiiy,  you  know,  is  the  first  mineralogist  in 
Europe,  and  I  never  looked  upon  a  more  interesting 
being.  When  he  entered  the  lecture  room,  every 
one  rose  out  of  respect,  and  well  they  might.  He 
is  80  years  of  age  apparently,  with  a  most  heavenly 
patriarchal  countenance  and  silver  hair  ;  his  teeth  are 
gone,  so  that  I  could  not  understand  a  word  he 
said,  though,  indeed,  had  he  been  possessed  of 
all  the  teeth  in  Christendom  I  apprehend  I  should 
not  have  been  much  wiser,  as  he  lectured  on  the 
angular  forms  of  the  Amphiboles.  He  looked  like 
a  man  picked  out  of  a  crystal,  and  when  he  dies 
he  ought  to  be  reincarnated  and  placed  in  his  own 
museum. 

Another  Scene  to  which  I  found  my  way  was 
equally  interesting :  I  went  to  a  lecture  on  Icono- 
graphic  drawing,  or  Science,  as  it  was  called,  of 
representing  natural  subjects.  In  other  words,  when 
I  got  there  I  found  it  was  a  professorship  of  drawing, 
everything  connected  with  Nat.  Hist.,  such  as 
flowers,  animals,  insects  ;  and  the  Professor  lectures 
one  day  and  practically  instructs  on  another.  I 

1  Abai  Reny  Just  Haiiy,  1743-1822. 

2  Dumeril,  naturalist  and  professor. 


happened  to  be  present  at  one  of  the  latter.  Conceive 
my  surprise  at  rinding  myself  in  a  large  library 
rilled  with  tables,  drawing  books,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men all  sketching  either  from  nature  or  excellent 
copies  here.  As  it  was  not  a  public  day  except 
to  those  who  wished  to  attend  for  instruction, 
I  ought  not  with  propriety  to  have  intruded,  but 
"  J'e'tais  Anglois  "  and  every  attention  was  paid.  You 
would  have  given  a  little  ringer  to  have  seen  the 
room  ;  it  was  a  hot  summer's  day,  but  there  all 
was  cool  and  fragrant ;  the  windows  opened  on 
the  gardens,  the  tables  were  covered  with  groupes 
of  flowers  in  vases ;  the  company,  about  40,  were 
seated  up  and  down  where  ever  they  chose,  each 
with  a  nice  desk  and  drawing  board — in  short,  it 
was  a  scene  which  excited  feelings  of  respect  for 
a  nation  which  thus  patronised  everything  which 
could  add  to  the  rational  improvement  of  its 
members.  Were  France  the  seat  of  religion  and 
pure  virtue  it  would  be  Utopia  verified  ;  but,  alas! 
there  are  spots  which  stain  the  picture  and  cast 
a  balance  decidedly  in  favour  of  England :  we 
are  rough,  we  are  narrow-minded,  but  he  who 
travels  is  brought  to  confess  and  say  "  England ! 
with  all  thy  faults  I  love  thee  still."  .  .  . 

LETTER  V. 

PARIS,  July  loth. 

Madame  de  StaeTs  party  formed  a  fine  contrast 
to  the  gloom  and  ponderosity  of  Sir  Charles  Stuart's 
dinner  the  day  before.  We  went  a  quarter  before 


126       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

nine,  thinking,  as  it  was  the  nominal  hour,  it  would 
be  ill-bred  to  go  too  early,  but  the  French  are  more 
punctual  in  these  matters,  for  we  found  the  good 
people  all  assembled  and  Marmont r  walked  out  not 
five  minutes  before  we  walked  in. 

In  his  stead  we  had  General  Lafayette,2  the 
cornerstone  of  the  Revolution.  He  is  a  tall, 
clumsy-made  man,  not  much  unlike  Dr.  Nightingale, 
tho'  rather  thinner.  His  countenance  discovers 
thought  and  sound  judgment,  but  by  no  means 
quickness  or  brilliancy  ;  his  manners  were  quiet, 
unassuming,  and  gentlemanlike.  He  spoke  little, 
and  then  said  nothing  particularly  worth  notice. 

The  next  lion  announced  was  a  lioness,  the  cele- 
brated Madame  Recamier,3  and  though  she  is  not 
in  her  premiere  jeunesse,  I  can  easily  conceive  how 
she  could  once  dazzle  the  world.  It  would  be  too 
much  to  give  her  credit  for  superior  talents,  but  her 
manners  were  very  agreeable  tho'  rather  like  all 
other  belles  of  France  who  have  fallen  in  my  way, 
somewhat  a  la  languissante.  But  I  am  all  this 
while  forgetting  the  star  of  the  evening,  the  Baroness 
herself.  She  sat  in  a  line  with  about  six  ladies, 
before  whom  were  arranged  as  many  gentlemen, 

1  Marmont,    1774-1852,    Due  de    Raguse.     The  defence  of 
Paris  had  been  left  in  his  hands  by  Napoleon,  and  his  surrender 
to  the  Allies  was  the  finishing  stroke  which  forced  Napoleon 
to  abdicate. 

2  Lafayette,  1757-1834,  Liberal  general  and  politician. 

3  Madame    Recamier,    1777-1849,    a  famous   beauty.      She 
had  held  a  "  salon  "  at  Paris  in  the  early  days  of  the  Empire,  but 
had  been  exiled  in  1811  and  had  just  returned  (June,  1814). 


1814]     A  PARTY  AT  MADAME  DE  STAEL'S     127 

all  listening  to  the  oracular  tongue  of  their  political 
Sybil. 

She  was  in  high  spirits  because  she  had  been 
warmed  up  by  the  decision  of  the  court  and  com- 
mons concerning  the  liberty  of  the  press,  which  had 
received  an  effectual  check  by  limiting  all  liberty 
of  speech  and  opinion  to  works  containing  not  less 
than  480  pages,  thus  excluding  the  papers  and 
pamphlets.  The  moment  we  were  announced, 
before  she  asked  me  how  I  did,  she  enquired 
whether  I  had  heard  this  notable  decision,  and 
then  demanded  what  I  thought  of  it.  Of  course, 
I  assured  her  how  much  I  lamented  the  prospect 
of  an  inundation  of  dull,  prolix  books  to  which 
France  was  thus  inevitably  exposed.  This,  as  we 
spoke  in  English,  she  immediately  translated  for  the 
benefit  of  the  company,  adding  "  Ce  Monsieur 
Anglois  dit  cela,  et  c'est  bien  vrai  il  a  raison," 
and  then  she  laughed  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
catalogue  of  stupid  books  which  might  be  antici- 
pated. 

I  must  confess  the  party  was  a  little  formidable ; 
in  England  I  should  have  said  formal,  but  there 
is  something  in  French  manners  wholly  foreign  to 
any  application  of  the  word  formal,  and  really  after 
exchanging  a  few  remarks  I  was  glad  to  be  intro- 
duced to  her  son1  and  daughter,2  with  both  of  whom 
I  was  much  pleased.  They  are  clever  and  agree- 
able. She  is  not  above  eighteen  or  twenty,  and 

1  Auguste  de  Stael,  1790-1827. 

2  Mademoiselle  de  Stael,  married  the  Due  de  Broglie. 


128       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

if  her  complexion  was  good  would  be  very  pretty. 
She  was  not  shy,  beginning  conversation  in  a  trice 
upon  interesting  subjects.  She  compared  the 
English  and  French  character,  in  which  she  (and 
I  presume  it  was  a  maternal  opinion)  would  not 
allow  an  atom  of  merit  to  the  latter.  On  finding 
that  I  was  a  clergyman  she  immediately  began 
upon  Religion,  talked  of  Hodgson,1  Andrews, 
Wilberforce,2  and  then  in  questioning  me  about 
the  Methodists  (about  whom  she  seemed  to  have 
heard  much  and  entertained  confused  notions)  we 
slid  into  mysticism,  which  carried  us,  of  course,  into 
the  third  vol.  of  "Allemagne  ";  she  spoke  in  raptures 
of  the  mystic  school,  said  she  was  quite  one  in 
heart — "  Cela  se  peut,"  thought  I  ;  but  somehow  or 
other  "  Je  ne  le  crois  pas,"  for  I  have  heard  some 
little  anecdotes  of  her  mother,  in  which,  whatever 
may  be  her  theoretical  views  of  mysticism,  her 
practical  opinions  are  rather  more  lax  than  Fe"nelon's. 
Much  against  my  will  I  took  my  leave,  willing  to 
hope  that  Mme.  S.  spoke  the  truth  when  she  said 
how  glad  she  should  be  to  see  me  if  I  visited  Paris 
during  the  winter ;  she  is  off  to  Switzerland  in  a 
few  days.  The  French  say  we  have  spoilt  her — in 
fact,  she  occupies  little  of  the  public  attention  in 
Paris. 

1  Hodgson,   Dean  of  Carlisle  and  Rector  of  St.   George's, 
Hanover  Square ;  d.  1844. 

2  William     Wilberforce,      1759-1833;    distinguished    among 
the  promoters  of  Negro   Emancipation  and  the  Abolition  of 
the  Slave  Trade, 


1814]          THE    "CORPS   LEGISLATIF"  129 

The  next  event  most  interesting  was  our  visit  to 
the  Corps  Le"gislatif,  or  House  of  Commons.  We 
went  to  a  certain  door,  to  which  we  were  refused 
admittance,  and  told  it  was  too  full  or  too  late. 
But  said  I,  "  Nous  sommes  Anglois  "  ;  in  an  instant 
a  man  came  up  and  placed  us  in  an  inner  gallery 
in  the  body  of  the  house.  The  House  is  something 
like  the  Royal  Institution — of  course  larger  and 
beautifully  fitted  up.  Considering  it  as  the  Royal 
Institution  for  your  better  comprehension,  the 
President  sits  on  a  tribunal  throne  in  a  recess 
corresponding  to  the  fire-place  ;  immediately  below 
is  a  sort  of  Rostrum  from  whence  the  Members 
speak,  in  situation  like  the  lecturer  of  the  R.I. 
In  point  of  decoration  and  external  appearance 
both  of  house  and  members,  it  is  far  superior  to 
our  House  of  Commons,  as  all  the  members  wear 
uniforms  of  blue  and  gold,  but  taking  it  all  together 
I  know  not  that  anything  can  be  more  illustrative 
of  the  French  Character — externally  all  correct  and 
delightful,  but  within  "  a  sad  rottenness  of  the  state 
of  Denmark." 

The  president  began  the  proceedings  by  ringing  a 
bell ;  a  paper  was  then  read  detailing,  I  believe,  the 
orders  of  the  day.  A  member  then  arose  and  went 
to  the  Rostrum.  In  the  middle  of  his  speech  he 
was  called  to  order  and  told  it  was  a  very  bad 
speech,  so  down  he  came  and  another  mounted. 
He  was  equally  disliked,  for  they  told  him  he  spoke 
too  low  and  they  could  not  hear  him,  so  he  dis- 
appeared ;  then  half  a  dozen  got  up  and  were  so 

9 


130 

impatient  that  they  began  speaking  altogether 
before  they  reached  the  Tribune.  In  vain  did 
the  President  ring  his  bell,  and  stand  up  and 
gesticulate.  Silence,  however,  was  at  length  ob- 
tained, and  he  addressed  them,  but  with  little  better 
success  than  the  rest.  One  man  then  stept  for- 
ward and  did  obtain  a  hearing,  for  he  had  good 
lungs  and  a  fair  share  of  eloquence.  His  speech 
was  short,  but  it  was  by  far  the  best ;  his  name  was 
Dumolard.1  Soon  afterwards  the  sitting  broke  up  ; 
the  whole  took  up  little  more  than  an  hour.  I 
know  not  whether  the  perfect  want  of  order  was 
more  ridiculous  or  disgusting  ;  the  sittings  of  the 
Senate  (Peers)  are  private.  .  .  . 

We  will  now  take  you  to  Malmaison,  the  in- 
teresting retreat  of  the  interesting  Josephine.  Her 
character  was  scarcely  known  in  England.  We 
hear  little  more  of  her  than  as  a  discarded  Empress 
or  Mistress  of  Buonaparte's,  but  she  had  much  to 
recommend  her  to  public  as  well  as  private  notice. 
The  French  all  speak  highly  of  her,  and  it  is 
impossible,  on  seeing  Malmaison  and  hearing  of 
her  virtues,  not  to  join  in  their  opinion.  To  be 
sure,  as  a  Frenchman  told  me  in  running  through 
a  list  of  virtues,  "  Elle  avait  ete  un  peu  libertine, 
mais  ce  n'est  rien  cela,"  and,  indeed,  I  could  almost 
have  added,  "  C'est  bien  vrai,"  for  every  allowance 
should  be  made ;  consider  the  situation  in  which 

'Dumolard,  1766-1820;  a  French  politician,  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  Chamber  of  Representatives  under  the  first  Restora- 
tion. 


1814] 


MALMAISON 


131 


MALMAISON 


she  was   placed,    her   education,    her  temptations ; 

many  a  saint  might  have  fallen  from  the  eminence 

on  which  she  stood ; 

I  never  dwelt  with 

more  satisfaction  or 

felt    more    inclined 

to  coincide  in   that 

benevolent    verdict 

of     the      best      of 

judges    of    human 

nature   and  human 

frailty,  "  Neither  do 

I  condemn  thee,  go 

and  sin    no  more," 

than    in    criticising 

the      character     of 

Josephine. 

I  am  not  sure 
whether  you  know 
exactly  the  history 
of  Malmaison.  The 
house  and  land 
attached  to  it 
were  purchased  by 
Buonaparte  when 
First  Consul,  and 
given  to  Josephine, 

who  made  it  what 

h 

it    is,    and    bought 

more   land,    so    that    it    is    now    in    fact    a    little 
Estate.      On   bein^   divorced,    she   retired    thither 

£j  * 


TJ 


] 

B 

1 

II 

1 

J 

ft 

D 

132        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

with  Eugene  Beauharnais,  her  son,  and  younger 
children.  Her  pursuits  and  occupations  will  be 
best  understood  by  describing  what  we  saw.  I 
should  say,  before  I  proceed,  that  it  required  some 
interest  to  get  in,  and  that  we  went  with  the 
Hibberts,  who  knew  the  secretary  of  the  Swedish 
Ambassador,  in  whose  suite  we  were  incorporated 
for  admission.  The  chief  room  in  the  house  is 
what  is  called  the  Gallery  A,  planned  and  finished 
according  to  her  own  designs ;  the  floor  is  a  mass 
of  dark  inlaid  marble,  the  ceiling  arched  and  light 
admitted  from  it,  the  whole  not  much  unlike  the 
Gallery  at  Winnington  on  a  much  larger  scale.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  fitting  up  of  the 
interior.  The  walls  are  hung  with  the  most  exquisite 
selections  from  ancient  Masters,  not  stolen,  but 
many  given  to  her,  and  the  rest  purchased  by  her- 
self; but  I  was  more  struck  by  the  statues  than 
with  any  thing  else.  The  dots  represent  them  and 
their  situations  in  the  Gallery;  they  are  chiefly  by 
two  modern  artists,  Canova  and  Boher,  though  I 
fear  the  reputation  of  my  taste  and  judgment  will 
suffer  by  the  confession.  I  still  must  confess  that 
I  felt  far  more  pleasure  than  in  looking  either  upon 
Apollo  or  the  Venus  de  Medicis.  There  was  a 
Bust  and  Statue  of  herself,  the  latter  particularly 
beautiful,  and  if  accurate,  which  I  was  assured  it 
was,  the  original  must  have  been  elegant  and 
interesting  to  the  last  degree.  It  reminded  me 
much  of  Lady  Charlemont,  with  a  stronger  ex- 
pression of  sense.  The  rest  of  the  room  was 


1814]  DEATH  OF  JOSEPHINE  133 

furnished  with  tables  inlaid  with  marble,  upon 
which  were  a  variety  of  bronzes,  pieces  of  armour, 
&c.,  and  her  musical  instruments  were  as  she  had 
left  them,  and  everything  wore  an  appearance  of 
comfort  which  is  seldom  seen  in  the  midst  of  such 
magnificence.  Through  folding  doors  you  enter 
into  a  smaller  room  hung  with  pictures.  C.  was 
her  chapel ;  before  a  little  unostentatious  altar,  which 
had  every  appearance  of  having  daily  witnessed  her 
devotions,  was  a  beautiful  Raphael  ;  the  walls  were 
hung  with  seven  small  Scripture  subjects  by 
Poussin.  I  would  have  given  a  great  deal  to 
have  been  her  invisible  observer  in  this  sacred 
retirement.  She  must  have  been  alone,  for  it  was 
scarcely  large  enough  to  admit  priest  or  attendant. 

D.  was  a  room  in  which  she  breakfasted,  during 
which  time  music  was  generally  performed  in  B. 
From  E.  was  a  fine  view  of  the  Aqueduct  of  Marly, 
and  E.  was  the  way  to  the  Garden,  which  she  had 
fitted  up  in  the  English  style.  I  have  not  time 
to  enter  into  detail  of  these  or  her  greenhouses. 
She  was  fond  of  Society  and  patronised  the  Arts. 
She  allowed  Artists  to  sit  at  leisure  in  her  gallery 
to  copy  pictures,  and  conversed  with  them  a  great 
deal.  She  did  an  infinity  of  good  to  all  within  her 
reach  and  was  beloved  by  all.  Her  death  was  very 
sudden  ;  she  had  complained  of  a  sore  throat,  but 
not  sufficiently  to  confine  her  to  her  room.  On  a 
certain  Wednesday  or  Thursday  she  was  in  her 
Park  in  high  spirits,  showing  it  to  the  Emperor 
Alexander  and  King  of  Prussia ;  being  rather 


134       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

heated  she  drank  some  iced  water ;  in  the  evening 

she  was  worse,  on  Sunday  she  was  dead,  sensible 

to    the    last  ;  talked   of  death,    seemed    perfectly 

resigned — to  use  the  words  of  a  French  lady,  who 

told   me   many   interesting   particulars,    "  sa   mort 

etait  tres  chretienne."    They  were  busied  in  packing 

pictures  and  making  catalogues,  but  I  believe  there 

is    no  fear   of  dismantling  the    house,   as    Eugene 

Beauharnais  l   and  the  children  are  to  have  it  in 

conformity  to  her  will.2     I    have  seen  few    things 

since   my   departure    from    England    which    have 

interested  me  more  than  Malmaison,  and   I  could 

almost   fancy  that   her  statue,  which  is  that  of  a 

pensive  female,  with  the  chin  resting  on  the  hand, 

was  her  ghost  ruminating  over  the   extraordinary 

events  which  had  recently  occurred,  and  which  she 

had   quitted    for   ever.      You    will    see   Malmaison 

in  my  sketch-book,  as  well  as  the  Castle  of  Vin- 

cennes,  which  is  as  picturesque  and  imposing  as  it 

is  interesting,  from  the  circumstances  attending  the 

Duke  d'Enghien's  3  death.     It  seems  this  event  was 

known  at  Paris  the  next  day  and  spoken  of  with  as 

much  freedom  as  the  despotic  government  of  Paris 

would  admit.  .  .  . 

1  Eugene  Beauharnais,  1780-1824,  Viceroy  of  Italy,  1805-15. 
Son  of  Josephine  by  her  first  marriage  with  the   Vicomte  de 
Beauharnais. 

2  After  the  Second  Restoration  Prince   Eugene  Beauharnais 
sold  Malmaison  and  removed  its  gallery  of  pictures  to  Munich. 

^  3  Due  d'Enghien,  1772-1804,  son  of  the  Due  de  Bourbon. 
Shot  at  Vincennes  by  order  of  Napoleon  when  First  Consul, 
under  the  pretext  that  he  had  conspired  against  him. 


1814]          ELBOWING  THE  MARSHALS  135 

I  went  yesterday  to  see  the  house  of  Peers  in  the 
Luxembourg.  The  Hall  of  sittings  is  not  unlike  that 
of  the  Corps  Legislatif,  but  the  decorations  are  more 
interesting,  each  niche  being  filled  with  Austrian 
standards  and  a  few  others.  Under  a  gilt  dome, 
supported  by  similar  pillars,  was  the  spot  where 
Napoleon's  throne  was  not.  The  remnants  I  saw 
lying  in  one  of  the  Ante-rooms,  all  of  which  were 
ornamented  with  immense  pictures  of  the  principal 
battles,  but  these,  out  of  compliment  to  the 
Emperor,  &c.,  had  been  covered  over  with  green 
baize,  even  the  very  standards  had  been  removed 
during  the  stay  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  in  Paris. 
There  is  a  sitting  on  Tuesday,  and  if  I  stand  at 
the  door  I  may  see  the  Marshals  alight,  but  my 
curiosity  would  not  be  satisfied,  as  no  persons  seem 
to  know  them  ;  even  the  man  who  shewed  us  the 
hall,  who  actually  keeps  the  door  thro'  which  they 
enter  and  sees  them  all  constantly,  assured  me  he 
did  not  know  one  from  the  other.  He  did  not  even 
know  whether  Marmont r  had  one  arm  or  two. 

LETTER  VI. 

PARIS,  July  nth. 

Thanks  to  our  Landlord,  and  not  to  Sir  Charles 
Stuart,  we  have  just  been  elbowing  the  Marshals, 
as  a  serjeant  of  the  National  Guard  offered  to  take 
us  into  the  Thuilleries,  and  in  we  went  with  him  in 
full  uniform,  on  the  very  best  day  we  could  have 

1  Marmont  lost  his  arm  at  the  battle  of  Salamanca  in  1812. 


136       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

selected  since  our  arrival  in  Paris,  as  a  corps  of 
about  10  or  15,000  men  were  to  be  reviewed  by 
the  King  "  en  masse  "  in  the  Place  de  Carousel, 

o 

immediately  in  front  of  the  Thuilleries. 

We  were  stationed  in  a  room  of  which  I  had 
heard  much  and  wished  above  all  things  to  see— 
"  la  Salle  des  Marechaux,"  so  called  from  the 
full-length  portraits  of  18  of  these  gentlemen  with 
which  it  is  hung ;  the  upper  part  of  the  room  is 
surrounded  by  a  gallery  decorated  with  pictures 
of  the  chief  battles — Lodi,  Passage  of  the  Po, 
and  one  sea  piece  descriptive  of  the  capture  of 
our  Frigate,  the  Ambuscade,  by  a  smaller  vessel. 
It  is  so  good  a  picture  that  for  the  sake  of 
the  painting  I  never  thought  of  lamenting  the 
subject. 

After  standing  in  this  Hall  for  a  few  minutes  in 
the  midst  of  Generals  without  number  in  full 
uniform,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  almost 
knocked  over  by  Marshal  Jourdan,1  a  sharp,  queer- 
looking  fellow  not  at  all  stamped  with  the  features 
of  a  hero.  I  eyed  him  well,  and  had  scarcely 
satiated  my  curiosity  when  half  a  dozen  more  came 
by,  walking  about  without  peculiar  honors  or  atten- 
tion, and  only  to  be  distinguished  from  the  Generals 
by  a  broad  red  ribbon,  worn  like  those  of  our 
Knights  of  the  Bath. 

I  looked  at  each  and  all,  but  as  few  could  tell 
their  names  I  was  at  a  loss  to  distinguish  one  from 
another ;  my  head  and  eyes  were  in  a  perfect  fidget, 
1  Jourdan,  General,   1762-1833. 


1814]  DAVOUST  137 

flying  from  Marshal  to  Marshal  and  from  Picture 
to  Picture. 

Of  the  Dues  de  Treviso,1  de  Conegliano,2 
Serurier,3  and  Perignan  4  I  had  no  doubt,  as  I 
saw  them  again  several  times,  but  I  am  not  sure 
that  I  should  know  the  others  except  from  a 
recollection  of  their  pictures. 

I  will  describe  a  few  while  their  countenances  are 
fresh  upon  my  memory. 

Ney  5  is  a  fine,  handsome  man,  but  remarkably 
fair  with  light  curling  hair,  and  struck  us  very  like 
Mrs.  Parker,  of  Astle. 

Due  d' I  stria6  was  reckoned  by  Robert  Hibbert 
like  me — that  is  to  say,  he  had  dark  arched  eyebrows, 
a  fox-like  sort  of  countenance,  very  dark,  almost 
swarthy,  and  from  his  extreme  bilious  appearance, 
I  should  imagine  might  be  troubled,  like  myself, 
with  bad  headaches. 

Davoust !  7  I  can  scarcely  recall  his  portrait  with- 

1  Due  de  Treviso,  Marshal  Mortier,  1768-1835. 

2  Due  de   Conegiiano,    Marshal    Moncey,    1754-1842.      He 
defended  the  walls  of  Paris  as  Major-General  of  the   National 
Guard  and   laid   down   his    arms   only   after   the   Capitulation 
was  signed. 

3  Serurier,  General,  1742-1819. 
*  Perignan,  General,  1754-1819. 

s  Ney,  Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  Due  d'Elchingen,  1769-1815, 
"  Le  Brave  des  Braves."  He  swore  allegiance  to  Louis  XVIII., 
but  returned  to  Napoleon  in  1815,  fought  under  him  at  Waterloo, 
and  was  shot  for  treason  under  the  Second  Restoration. 

6  Due  d'Istria,  Bessieres,  Commander  of  the  Old  Guard. 

^  Davoust,  Prince  d'Eckmuhl.  In  1814  the  unfortunate  city 
of  Hamburg  was  still  suffering  under  the  unrelenting  severity  of 


138        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

out  shuddering.  If  ever  an  evil  spirit  peeped  thro' 
the  visage  of  a  human  being,  it  was  in  Davoust. 
Every  bad  passion  seemed  to  have  set  its  mark  on 
his  face  :  nothing  grand,  warlike,  or  dignified.  It 
was  all  dark,  cruel,  cunning,  and  malevolent.  His 
body,  too,  seemed  to  partake  of  his  character.  I 
should  fancy  he  was  rather  deformed.  I  never  saw 
so  good  a  Richard  III.  Let  him  pass  and  make 
way  for  one  of  a  different  description,  Victor,1 
a  fine,  open,  gentlemanly  countenance,  tho'  not  like 
a  military  hero.  Marmont,  a  dark  haired,  sharp- 
looking  man  of  military  stature.  Due  de  Dantzig,2 
very  ugly  and  squinting.  Berthier,3  remarkably 
quiet  and  intelligent.  Murat,4  an  effeminate  cox- 
comb with  no  characteristic  but  that  of  self-satis- 
faction. Moncey,  a  respectable  veteran.  Massena,5 
the  most  military  of  all,  dark  hair  and  countenance, 
fine  figure.  Soult,6  a  stern  soldier,  vulgar  but 

Davoust,  who  had  appointed  a  commission  having  the  power  ot 
condemning  to  death  all  persons  who  used  inflammatory  speeches 
to  exasperate  the  soldiers  or  the  inhabitants. 

1  Victor,  Due  de  Belluno,  1764-1841. 

2  Lefebre,  Due  de  Dantzig,  1755-1820. 

3  Berthier,    Prince  de   Wagram,    1753-1815,    Chief    or    the 
Staff.     A  close  friend   of  Napoleon  from   1796   onwards.     He 
escaped   to   Bamberg  in  1815  in  hopes  of  remaining  neutral, 
but  was  killed  there  by  the  emissaries  of  a  secret  society. 

*  Murat,  1778-1815,  King  of  Naples  and  husband  of  Caroline 
Bonaparte.  He  had  concluded  a  treaty  with  Austria  against 
Napoleon  in  January,  1814.  He  was  shot  in  Calabria  in  1815. 

5  Massena,  Due  de  Rivoli,  1758-1817.     "The  favoured  child 
of  victory." 

6  Soult,   Due  de    Dalmatie,    1769-1861.     He    decided    the 
victory  of  Austerlitz. 


1814]  VIVE  LE  ROI  139 

energetic  ;  his  mouth  and  lower  part  of  his  face  like 
Edridge,1  though  not  so  large  a  man. 

The  King  was  to  me  a  very  secondary  person  ; 
however,  I  was  close  to  him  as  he  tottered,  like  a 
good  old  well-meaning  man,  to  Mass.  On  his 
return  he  appeared,  as  I  described  last  Sunday, 
in  the  balcony  facing  the  gardens  for  a  few  minutes 
and  was  loudly  cheered,  and  then  he  came  back 
to  the  Salle  des  Marechaux  and  sat  down  in  a  fine 
chair  of  Bonaparte's,  covered  all  over  with  his  Bees, 
in  a  Balcony  facing  the  Place  de  Carousel,  from 
whence  he  looked  down  on  the  10,000  troops  who 
were  there  assembled.  The  shouts  here  were  not 
what  they  ought  to  have  been.  Comparatively  few 
cried  "  God  bless  him ! "  and  I  much  fear  the 
number  who  thought  it  was  still  less.  The  Due 
de  Berri,2  on  horseback  with  Marshal  Moncey  on 
one  side  and  Du  Pont  3  on  the  other,  reviewed  the 
troops,  who  passed  in  companies  and  troops  before 
them.  As  each  company  passed  the  officer  held  up 
his  sword  and  cried  "  Vive  le  Roi !  "  and  some 
of  the  soldiers  did  the  same,  but  not  more  than 
one  out  of  ten. 

I  heard  an  anecdote  of  the  Due  de  Berri  which 
is,  I  hope,  true.  A  few  days  ago  in  reviewing  some 
troops  on  the  Champs  Elysees  an  officer  in  passing 

1  Edridge,  portrait  painter,  1769-1821. 

2  Duke  de  Berri,  second  son  of  the  Comte  d'Artois,  afterwards 
Charles  X.,  1778-1820.    He  married  Caroline  of  Naples,  and  was 
the  father  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord.     He  was  assassinated  by 
Louvel  on  the  steps  of  the  Opera  House  at  Paris  in  1820. 

•3  General  Du  Pont,  1759-1838. 


140       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

chose  to  cry  out,  "  Vive  Napoleon  ! "  upon  which 
the  Due  rode  up  to  him,  tore  his  Epaulette  from 
his  shoulder  and  order  from  his  breast,  threw  them 
on  the  ground,  and  instantly  dismissed  him  the 
service ;  this  spirit  pleased  the  soldiers,  and  they 
all  shouted  "  Vive  le  Roi ! " 

On  Saturday  we  went  to  St.  Cloud,  Versailles, 
and  the  great  and  little  Trianon.  St.  Cloud  and 
the  great  Trianon  were  the  especial  residences 
of  Buonaparte,  and  I  looked  at  his  bed  and  tables 
and  chairs  with  some  curiosity.  I  have  not  time  to 
describe  all  these.  I  saw  one  public  place  yester- 
day which  should  be  mentioned,  a  museum  of 
models  in  every  department  of  art  and  science,  with 
all  the  machines,  &c.,  connected  with  them.  I 
would  willingly  conclude  my  observations  on  Paris 
with  some  remarks  on  its  manners,  principles,  &c., 
and  I  would  begin  with  Religion  first  if  I  could,  but 
the  fact  is  there  appears  to  be  none.  If  any  does 
exist  it  must  approximate  to  Mysticism  and  lie 
concealed  in  the  recesses  of  the  heart,  for  truly  "  the 
right  hand  knoweth  not  what  the  left  hand  doeth." 
But  with  all  this  non-appearance  I  should  be 
cautious  in  passing  too  severe  a  censure.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  nation  is  military,  that 
from  the  earliest  years  they  "  sing  of  arms,"  and 
Buonaparte  carried  this  to  such  a  degree  that 
even  children  not  much  older  than  Owen 1  are 
to  be  seen  in  full  Uniforms.  He  wished  to  in- 
corporate the  two  terms  of  man  and  soldier.  We 
1  Eldest  son  of  Edward  Stanley,  b.  1811. 


1814]  INFANT   REGIMENTS  141 

laughed,  you  remember,  at  the  account  of  the  little 
King  of  Rome  appearing  in  Uniform  ;  in  Paris  this 
would  not  appear  ridiculous.  He  had  uniforms 
of  all  the  favourite  regiments  horse  and  foot.  .  .  . 
But  yet  there  appears  to  be  less  vice  than  in 
England,  I  should  rather  say  less  organised  vice  ;  I 
have  not  heard  of  a  single  Robbery,  public  or 
private — I  walk  without  fear  of  pickpockets  ;  I 
should  be  inclined  to  say  they  seemed  rather 
against  themselves  than  against  each  other.  Their 
principles  may  be  more  relaxed  on  some  points  than 
ours,  but  I  doubt  much  whether  a  Frenchman 
would  not  be  as  much  disgusted  in  England  as  an 
Englishman  could  possibly  be  in  France  ;  we  call 
them  a  profligate  race  and  condemn  them  in  toto — 
something  like  Hudibras'  John  Bull — 

"  Compounds  for  sin  he  is  inclined  to 
By  damning  those  he  has  no  mind  to." 

Their  public  walks  and  Theatres  are  less  offensive 
to  decency  than  ours.  Drunkenness  is  scarcely 
known  ;  at  first  sight  I  should  pronounce  them  an 
idle,  indolent  people ;  the  streets  are  almost  always 
full ;  the  gardens,  public  walks,  &c.,  swarm  at  all 
hours  with  saunterers.  According  to  my  ideas  a 
Frenchman's  life  must  be  wretched,  for  he  does  not 
seem  at  all  to  enter  into  the  charms  of  home — their 
houses  are  not  calculated  for  it ;  they  huddle  to- 
gether in  nooks  and  corners,  and  the  male  part 
(judging  from  the  multitudes  I  daily  see)  leave  the 


142        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

women  and  children  to  get  through  the  day  as  they 
can. 

Their  coffee-houses  are  some  of  them  quite 
extraordinary ;  most  of  them  are  ornamented  with 
Mirrors  in  abundance,  but  some  shine  with  more 
splendour.  In  the  Palais  Royal  there  is  one  called 
"  Le  Cafe*  de  mille  Colonnes,"  which  merits  some 
description.  It  consists  of  three  or  four  rooms — 
the  largest  is  almost  one  mass  of  plate-glass 
Mirrors,  beautiful  clocks  at  each  end,  and  magnifi- 
cent chandeliers  ;  behind  a  raised  Table  of  most 
superb  structure,  composed  of  slabs  of  marble  and 
plate-glass,  sat  a  lady  dressed  in  the  richest  manner, 
Diamonds  on  head  and  hand,  Lace,  Muslin,  &c. 
This  is  the  Landlady  ;  by  her  a  little  boy,  about 
4  years  old,  stood  in  charge  of  a  drawer  from 
whence  the  small  change  was  issued  ;  this,  if  it 
happened  to  be  copper,  was  delicately  touched  by 
the  fair  hand,  which  was  immediately  washed  in  a 
glass  of  water  as  if  contaminated  by  the  vulgar 
metal.  She  never  spoke  to  the  waiters,  but  rung  a 
golden  bell ;  her  inkstands,  flower  jars — in  short, 
every  article  on  the  table  was  of  the  same  metal  or 
of  silver  gilt.  The  tables  for  the  company  were 
fine  marble  slabs  ;  the  room  was  from  the  reflection 
of  all  the  mirrors,  as  you  may  suppose,  a  perfect 
blaze  of  light,  and  yet  altogether  the  place  looked 
dirty,  from  the  undress  and  shabby  coats  of  the 
company.  The  French  never  dress  for  the  evening 
unless  going  out  to  parties,  and  they  always  look 
dirty  and  unlike  gentlemen ;  the  former  is  not  the 


JftL.  . 


THE  CATACOMBS  143 

case,  in  fact  for  they  are  constantly  washing  and 
bathing.  An  hour  or  two  before  I  was  in  this 
extraordinary  coffee-house  I  had  traversed  a  spot 
as  opposite  to  it  as  could  well  be — the  Catacombs  ! — 
a  range  of  vaults  nearly  half  a  mile  long,  about 
80  feet  under  ground,  in  which  are  deposited  all  the 
bones  from  all  the  cemeteries  in  Paris.  I  suppose 
we  were  in  company  with  some  millions  of  skele- 
tons, whose  skulls  are  so  arranged  as  to  form  regular 
patterns,  and  here  and  there  was  an  altar  made  of 
bones  fancifully  piled  up,  on  the  sides  an  inscrip- 
tion in  Latin,  French,  &c.  Behind  one  wall  the 
bodies  of  all  who  perished  in  the  massacres  in  Paris 
were  immured.  They  were  brought  in  carts  at 
night  and  thrown  in,  and  there  they  rest,  festering 
not  in  their  shrouds  but  in  clothes.  Such  a  mass  of 
corrupt  flesh  would  soon  have  infested  all  the  vaults, 
so  they  were  bricked  up. 

I  wish  to  recommend  our  hotel  to  any  people  you 
may  hear  of  coming  to  Paris — Hotel  des  Estrangers, 
Rue  du  Hazard,  kept  by  Mr.  Meriel.  Its  situation 
is  both  quiet  and  convenient ;  it  is  really  not  five 
minutes'  walk  from  the  leading  objects  of  Paris,  and 
the  people  have  been  civil  to  us  beyond  measure. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ON  THE  TRACK  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

The  Ex-Imperial  Guard — Anecdotes  of  the  last  days  at  Fontaine- 
bleau  —  Invalided  Cossacks  —  "  Trahison  "  —  Ruin  and 
desolation— Roast  dog— An  English  soldier— A  Trappist 
veteran — Jack  boots — Polytechnic  cadets — A  Russian 
officer — Cossacks,  Kalmucks,  and  sparrows — Prussians  and 
British  lions — Rhine  Castles — Rival  inscriptions — Diligence 
atmosphere — Brisemaison — Sociable  English. 

ON  leaving  Paris,  Edward  Stanley  planned  to 
follow  the  traces  of  the  desperate  campaign 
which  Napoleon  had  fought  in  the  early  months  of 
that  year  (1814)  against  the  Allies,  and  in  which  he 
so  nearly  succeeded  in  saving  his  crown  for  a  time. 
As,  however,  the  English  travellers  did  not 
intend  to  return  again  to  Paris,  they  reversed 
Napoleon's  line  of  march  and  started  to  Fontaine- 
bleau  by  the  road  along  which  the  Emperor  rode 
back  in  hot  haste  on  the  night  of  March  3Oth,  to 
take  up  the  command  of  the  force  which  should 
have  been  defending  his  capital,  and  where  the 
sight  of  Mortier's  flying  troops  convinced  him  that 
all  hope  was  at  an  end. 


144 


When  they  had  visited  Fontainebleau,  where  the 
final  abdication  had  taken  place  on  April  nth,  they 
turned  north-east  to  Melun  and  posted  on  through 
towns  which  had  been  the  scenes  of  some  of  the 
most  desperate  fighting  in  that  wonderful  campaign, 
when  Napoleon  had  seemed  to  be  everywhere  at 
once,  dealing  blows  right  and  left  against  the  three 
armies  which,  in  the  beginning  of  January,  had 
advanced  to  threaten  his  Empire — Billow  in  the 
north,  Blucher  on  the  east,  and  Schwarzenberg  on 
the  south. 

They  passed  through  Guignes  and  Meaux,  by 
which  Napoleon's  army  had  marched  after  his  victory 
over  Bliicher  at  Vauchamps  on  February  i4th,  in 
the  rapid  movement  to  reinforce  Marshal  Victor,  and 
to  drive  back  Schwarzenberg  from  the  Seine. 

Through  Chateau  Thierry,  where  on  the  i2th  of 
February  the  Emperor  and  Marshal  Mortier  had 
pursued  Russians  and  Prussians  from  street  to 
street  till  they  were  driven  over  the  Marne,  and 
whence  the  French  leader  dashed  after  Bliicher  to 
Vauchamps. 

Through  Soissons,  which  the  Russians  under 
Winzengerode  had  bombarded  on  March  3rd,  and 
forced  to  surrender,  whereby  Blucher  and  Biilow 
were  enabled  to  join  hands. 

Through  Laon,  where  Blucher  retreated  after 
Craonne,  and  where  he  finally  shattered  Marmont's 
forces  in  a  night  attack. 

By  Berry  au  Bac,  where  the  Emperor  crossed 
the  Aisne  on  his  way  to  fight  Blucher  at  Craonne, 

10 


146        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

the  scene  on  March  ;th  of  one  of  the  bloodiest 
battles  of  the  war. 

On  to  Rheims  where,  after  Marmont's  disaster  at 
Laon,  Napoleon  beat  the  Russians  just  before  he 
was  forced  to  rush  southwards  again  to  contend 
with  Schwarzenberg  and  his  Austrians. 

Finally  they  reached  Chalons,  which  had  been 
Napoleon's  starting-point  for  the  whole  campaign, 
and  where  he  had  arrived  in  the  closing  days  of 
January  after  having  taken  his  last  farewell  ot 
Marie  Louise  and  of  the  King  of  Rome. 

After  Chalons  they  turned  eastwards,  following 
the  line  of  fortresses  for  which  Napoleon  had  staked 
and  lost  his  crown,  and  reached  the  Rhine  by 
Verdun,  Metz,  and  Mayence ;  thence  to  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  Lille,  and  Brussels,  which  had  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  in  May,  been  ceded  with  the  whole 
of  Belgium  to  the  Netherlands. 

Edward  Stanley  to  his  Wife. 

MELUN,  July    \<\,th. 

We  quitted  our  Hotel  yesterday  morning  at  six 
for  Fontainebleau. 

There  is  nothing  particularly  interesting  about  the 
road,  which  is  almost  an  incessant  avenue.  About  half- 
way we  passed  a  fine  Chateau  of  Marshal  Jourdan's. 

The  forest  of  Fontainebleau  commences  about 
four  miles  from  the  town  and  extends  some  nine  or 
ten  miles  in  all  directions.  At  first  I  was  in  hopes 
of  being  gratified  with  the  sight  of  fine  woods,  but, 


1814]  A  STAUNCH  IMPERIALIST  147 

with  the  exception  of  a  few  patches  of  good  oaks, 
the  remainder  is  little  better  than  underwood  and 
dwarflings. 

We  went  into  the  heart  of  the  forest  to  see  an  old 
Hermitage  now  inhabited  by  a  keeper  and  his 
family.  They  had  been  visited  by  Cossacks,  but 
had  received  no  injury  whatever ;  on  the  contrary 
the  poor  woman  related  with  all  the  eloquence  of 
Truth  and  the  French  animation  that  from  their 
own  soldiers  they  had  suffered  all  that  cruelty  and 
rapacity  could  devise — indeed,  the  house  and  gardens 
bore  evidence  to  the  facts — window  shutters  pierced 
with  bullets,  broken  doors,  furniture  gone,  and 
above  800  francs'  worth  of  honey  destroyed  out  of 
pure  wantonness — in  short  the  poor  people  seemed 
quite  ruined.  I  received  a  similar  account  in  the 
town.  Fontainebleau  is  a  dull,  melancholy-looking 
place,  with  a  very  extensive  ugly  palace — interesting 
only  from  the  late  events.  Scarcely  a  soul  appeared 
about  ;  we  crossed  the  large  court  in  which 
Buonaparte  took  his  last  farewell  and  embraced  the 
Imperial  Eagles,  called  by  some  loyal  French 
"The  vile  Cuckoos."  Our  hostess  was,  I  presume, 
a  staunch  imperialist,  who  thought  she  could  not 
shew  her  zeal  for  the  Emperor  in  a  stronger  manner 
than  by  imposing  on  Englishmen.  She  began  by 
asking  i6s.  for  a  plate  of  8  little  wretched  mutton 
chops  ;  we  resented  the  imposition,  although  the 
sudden  appearance  of  4  or  5  officers  of  the  imperial 
guard  almost  rendered  it  doubtful  whether  we 
ought  to  act  too  warmly  on  the  defensive,  as  they 


148        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

seemed    to    patronise   our    hostess ;  however,    we 
refused  to  pay  and  retired  unimposed  upon. 

The  imperial  guard  here  are  supposed  to  be  par- 
ticularly attached  to  the  Emperor,  and  of  course 
averse  to  Englishmen,  but  I  was  agreeably  sur- 
prised to  find  three  out  of  the  four  really  something 
like  gentlemen  in  their  manners;  we  entered  into 
conversation,  which  I  managed  as  dexterously  as  I 
could,  maneuvering  between  the  evil  of  sacrificing 
my  own  opinions  on  one  side,  and  of  giving  them 
offence  on  the  other ;  it  was  a  nice  point,  as  I 
perceived  a  word  beyond  the  line  of  demarcation 
would  have  inflamed  them  in  a  trice.  One  happened 
to  differ  with  another  on  a  political  point,  which 
produced  a  loud  and  rapid  stamping  with  the  feet, 
accompanied  by  a  course  of  pirouets  on  the  heel 
with  the  velocity  of  a  dervish,  which  fully  proved 
what  might  be  effected  on  their  tempers  had  I  been 
disposed  to  try  the  experiment.  They  called  them- 
selves the  Ex- Imperial  Guard.  On  retiring  I  shook 
hands  with  them,  and  with  as  low  a  bow  as  the 
little  King  of  Rome,  said  "  Messieurs  les  Gardes 
d'Honneur,  Je  vous  salue."  .  .  . 

LETTER   VII. 

Monday ',  July  \qth. 

.  .  .  The  history  of  Buonaparte  immediately  pre- 
ceding, and  subsequent  to  the  surrender  of  Paris, 
was  never  actually  known — I  will  give  it  you. 

The  capitulation  took  place  on  the  3oth  (March). 
In  the  evening  of  that  day  he  arrived  at  Fontaine- 


149 

bleau  without  his  army.  Rumours  of  fighting  near 
Paris  had  reached  him.  He  almost  immediately  set 
off  with  Berthier  in  his  carriage  for  Paris,  and 
actually  arrived  at  Villejuif,  only  6  miles  from  the 
capital ;  when  he  heard  the  result  he  turned  about 
and  appeared  again  at  Fontainebleau  at  9  the  next 
morning.  When  he  alighted,  the  person  who 
handed  him  out,  a  sort  of  head-porter  of  the  Palace, 
who  was  our  guide,  told  me  he  looked  "triste,  bien 
triste  "  ;  he  spoke  to  nobody,  went  upstairs  as  fast  as 
he  could,  and  then  called  for  his  plans  and  maps  ; 
his  occupation  during  the  whole  time  he  staid  con- 
sisted in  writing  and  looking  over  papers,  but  to 
what  this  writing  and  these  papers  related  the  world 
may  feel  but  will  never  know  ;  his  spirits  were  by 
no  means  broken  down ;  in  a  day  or  two  he  was 
pretty  much  as  usual,  and  it  is  said  he  signed  the 
Abdication  without  the  least  apparent  emotion.  We 
heard  he  was  mad,  but  I  can  assure  you  from 
undoubted  authority  that  he  was  perfectly  well  in 
mind  and  body  the  whole  time,  and,  notwithstanding 
his  excessive  fatigues,  as  corpulent  as  ever ;  indeed, 
said  our  guide,  "  War  seems  to  agree  with  him 
better  than  with  any  man  I  ever  knew."  Buonaparte 
laid  out  immense  sums  in  furnishing  and  beautifying 
the  Palais  here.  I  got  into  his  library,  the  snuggest 
room  you  ever  saw,  immediately  below  a  little  study 
in  which  he  always  sat  and  settled  his  affairs ;  his 
arm-chair  was  a  very  comfortable,  honest,  plain  arm- 
chair, but  I  looked  in  vain  for  all  the  gashes  and 
notches  which  it  was  said  he  was  wont  to  inflict 


150       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

upon  it.  I  could  not  perceive  a  scratch,  he  was  too 
busily  employed  in  that  said  chair  in  forming  plans 
for  cutting  up  Europe  ;  within  three  yards  of  his 
table  was  a  little  door,  or  rather  trap  door,  by  which 
you  descended  down  the  oddest  spiral  staircase  you 
ever  beheld  into  the  Library,  which  was  low  and 
small ;  the  books  were  few  of  them  new,  almost  all 
standard  works  upon  history — at  least  I  am  sure 
4  out  of  5  were  historical — all  of  his  own  selection, 
and  each  stamped,  as  in  fact  was  everything  else  from 
high  to  low,  far  and  wide,  with  his  N.,  or  his  Bees 
or  his  Eagle — all  of  which  Louis  XVIII  is  as  busily 
employed  in  effacing,  which  alone  will  give  him 
ample  employment :  but  to  return  to  the  books. 
Amongst  the  rest  I  found — Shakespeare  .  .  .  and  a 
whole  range  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  which,  if  ever 
read,  might  account  in  some  degree  for  his  shutting 
up  the  Pope  as  the  existing  representative  of  the 
animals  who  have  occasioned  half  the  feuds  and 
divisions  therein  recorded.  There  was  a  Chapel, 
which  he  regularly  attended  on  Sundays  and  Saints' 
days.  His  State  bed  was  a  sort  of  State  business, 
very  uncomfortable,  consisting  of  5  or  6  mattresses 
under  a  royal  canopy  with  2  Satin  Pillows  at  each 
end. 

During  his  residence  he  never  stirred  beyond  the 
gates,  though  I  could  not  discover  that  he  was  at  all 
under  restraint,  or  in  any  way  looked  upon  as  a 
prisoner;  we  were  told  in  England  (what  are  we  not 
told  there?)  that  he  feared  the  people,  who  would 
have  torn  him  in  pieces  ;  this  is  an  idle  story.  I 


1814]     NAPOLEON  AT   FONTAINEBLEAU        151 

rather  suspect  the  people  liked  him  too  well,  besides 
which  his  Guards  were  there,  and  by  them  he  is 
idolised.  He  generally  took  exercise  in  a  long  and 
beautiful  Gallery,  called  the  Gallery  of  Francis  I. 
on  both  sides  of  which  were  busts  of  his  great 
Generals  on  panels  ornamented  with  the  N.,  and 
some  name  above  alluding  to  a  victory  ;  thus  above 
one  N.was  Nazareth,  which  puzzled  me  at  first,  but 
I  afterwards  heard  he  had  cut  up  some  Turks  there  ; 
besides  the  Gallery,  he  walked  every  day  up  and 
down  a  Terrace  ;  he  dined  every  day  in  a  miserable 
(I  speak  comparatively)  little  passage  room  without 
any  shew  of  state ;  he  was  affable  to  his  attendants 
and  is  liked  by  them.  His  abdication  room  is  not 
one  of  the  state  apartments — it  is  a  shabby  ante- 
room ;  I  could  almost  fancy  that  in  performing  this 
humiliating  deed  he  had  retired  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  Halls  and  Saloons  which  were  decorated 
by  his  hand,  and  had  witnessed  his  Imperial  magni- 
ficence. Most  of  the  Marshals  were  in  the  room, 
and  it  would  have  been  a  tour  indeed  to  have 
glided  through  the  hearts  of  each  when  such  an 
extraordinary  performance  was  transacting.  It  was 
in  the  great  Court  before  the  Palace  that  he  took 
his  leave,  not  above  1,500  troops  were  present. 
At  such  a  moment  to  have  heard  such  a  speech, 
delivered  with  the  dignity  and  stage  effect  Buonaparte 
well  knew  how  to  give,  must  have  produced  a  strong 
effect — how  great  (how  sad  I  had  almost  said)  the 
contrast ! 

The  stones  were  overgrown  with  grass ;   nobody 


152       BEFORE  AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

appeared,  no  voice  was  heard  except  the  clacking  of 
half  a  dozen  old  women  who  were  weeding  on  their 
knees,  and  all  the  windows  were  closed.  The 
dreary,  deserted  present  compared  with  the  magnifi- 
cent past  excited  nearly  the  same  feelings  as  if  I 
had  been  looking  on  Tadmor  in  the  wilderness. 
After  passing  the  Imperial  prison  we  were  ushered 
into  the  apartments  of  the  Imperial  prisoners,  the 
poor  Pope  and  his  16  Cardinals.  I  had  quite 
forgotten  the  place  of  their  confinement,  and  was  a 
little  surprised  when  the  man  said,  "  Here,  Sir, 
dwelt  for  19  months  the  holy  Conclave  of  St.  Peter." 
He  must  have  led  a  miserable  life,  for  though  he 
was  allowed  two  carriages,  with  6  and  8  horses  to 
each,  he  neither  stirred  out  himself  nor  allowed  any 
of  the  Cardinals  to  so  do,  saying  he  did  not  think  it 
right  for  prisoners.  Buonaparte  saw  him  in  January, 
I  think  the  man  said,  for  the  last  time.  So  much 
for  Fontainebleau.  Few  have  followed  their  master 
to  Elba.  Roustan  the  Mameluke  and  Constant  his 
Valet  were  certainly  very  ungrateful ;  one  of  them 
— I  forget  which — to  whom  Buonaparte  had  given 
25,00x3  fr.  (about  .£1,200)  the  day  before  he  left 
Fontainebleau,  applied  to  the  Due  de  Berri  for 
admission  into  his  service  ;  in  reply  the  Due  told 
him  his  gratitude  ought  to  have  carried  him  to  Elba, 
but  though  it  had  not,  if  he  (the  Duke)  ever  heard 
that  Buonaparte  wished  to  have  him  there,  he  would 
bind  him  hand  and  foot  and  send  him  immediately. 
None  of  the  Royal  allies  have  been  to  Fontainebleau 
at  the  time  or  since,  except  the  King  of  Prussia, 


1814]    RELIC   OF  THE   KING  OF  PRUSSIA    153 

who  came  incog,  a  few  days  ago.  This  the  guide 
said  he  had  heard  since  ;  he  had,  indeed,  seen  three 
persons  walking  about,  but  he  had  not  shewn  them 
the  Palace  nor  spoken  to  them.  That  it  was  the 
King  of  Prussia  was  confirmed  by  a  curious  little 
memorandum  I  found  wafered  over  a  high  glass  on 
the  top  of  the  room  in  which  we  dined,  and  which 
caught  my  eye  immediately  ;  I  shewed  it  to  the 
people  of  the  house,  who  said  they  had  not  observed 
it  before,  but  remembered  three  gentlemen  dining 
there  on  that  day.  "  Sa  Majeste  le  Roi  de  Prusse 
accompagne  du  Prince  Guillaume  son  fils  a  dine  en 
cette  appartement  avec  son  premier  Chambellan 
Mr.  Baron  D'Ambolle,  le  8  Juillet,  1814."  .  .  .  This 
is  the  way  the  King  of  Prussia  always  went  about 
in  Paris,  nobody  knew  him  or  saw  him.  .  .  . 

From  Fontainebleau  we  went  to  Melun  and  kept 
proceeding  through  Guignes  to  Meaux.  At  Guignes 
we  began  to  hear  of  the  effects  of  war  :  15,000 
Russians  had  been  bivouacked  above  the  town  for  a 
week.  Buonaparte  advanced  with  his  troops,  on 
which  they  retired,  but  troops  do  not  walk  up  and 
down  the  earth  like  lambs,  but  rather  like  roaring 
lions,  seeking  whom  they  may  devour  ;  however, 
here  let  us  insert  once  for  all  the  account  I  have 
invariably  received  from  sufferers  throughout  the 
whole  Theatre  of  war — that  the  conduct  of  the 
Russians  and  French  was  widely  different ;  the 
former  generally  behaving  as  well  as  could  possibly 
be  expected,  and  pillaging  only  from  necessity ; 
the  latter  seem  to  have  made  havoc  and  devastation 


154        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

their  delight.    They  might  perhaps  act  on  principle, 
conceiving-  that  it  was  better  for  the  treasure  and 

o 

good  things  of  the  land  to  fall  into  their  hands  than 
the  enemy's. 

At  a  little  shabby  inn  at  Guignes  where  we  break- 
fasted Buonaparte  had  slept.  The  people  described 
him  dressed  "  comme  un  perruquier  "  in  a  grey  great- 
coat ;  he  clattered  into  the  house,  bustled  about, 
went  to  his  room  early,  and  appeared  again  at  9  the 
next  morning,  but  "  J'en  reponds  bien  "  that  he  was 
not  sleeping  all  that  time.  If  from  Guignes  we 
traversed  a  country  where  we  heard  of  war,  at 
Meaux  we  began  to  see  the  effects — before  a 
picturesque  gateway  we  descended  to  cross  the 
bridge  over  a  stone  arch  which  had  been  blown 
up.  Shot-holes  marked  the  wall,  and  within  the 
houses  were  well  bespattered  with  musket  balls. 
It  was  the  first  visible  field  of  battle  we  had  crossed, 
and  to  heighten  the  interest,  while  we  were  looking 
about  and  asking  particulars  of  the  people,  up  came 
bands  of  Russian  troops  of  all  descriptions,  Cossacks 
included,  1,500  having  just  entered  the  town  in- 
valided from  Paris  on  their  return  home.  To  be 
sure,  a  more  filthy  set  I  never  beheld.  The  country 
is  pretty  well  stocked  with  Cossack  horses ;  they 
were  purchased  at  a  very  cheap  rate — from  25 
shillings  to  50  a  piece.  We  have  had  several  of 
them  in  our  carriage,  and  find  them  far  more 
active  and  rapid  than  the  French,  though  smaller 
and  more  miserable  in  appearance.  My  conversa- 
tion with  the  Russians  (for  I  made  it  a  point  to 


EXPLOSION   AT  MEA1TX  155 

speak  to  everybody)  was  rather  laconic,  and  gene- 
rally ran  thus,  "  Vous  Russe,  moi  Inglis  " — the 
answer,  "You  Inglis,  moi  Russe,  we  brothers" — 
and  then  I  generally  got  a  tap  on  the  shoulder 
and  a  broad  grin  of  approbation  which  terminated 
the  conference. 

You  know  the  chief  event  which  occurred  at 
Meaux  was  the  explosion  of  the  powder  magazines 
by  the  French  on  their  retreat,  for  which  they  were 
most  severely,  and,  I  think,  unjustly,  censured  in 
our  despatches — indeed,  after  seeing  and  hearing 
with  my  own  eyes  and  ears,  I  feel  less  than  ever 
inclined  to  put  implicit  faith  in  these  public  docu 
ments.  The  Magazine  was  in  a  large  house  where 
wines  had  been  stored  in  the  cellar — about  half  a 
mile  to  the  west  of  the  town  upon  a  hill.  About 
3  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  explosion  took  place 
with  an  " dbranlement"  which  shook  the  town  to  its 
very  foundation.  In  an  instant  every  pane  of  glass 
was  shattered  to  atoms,  but  the  cathedral  windows, 
which  were  composed  of  small  squares  in  lead, 
escaped  tolerably  well,  only  here  and  there  some 
patches  being  forced  out.  The  tiles  also  partook 
of  the  general  crash.  Many,  of  course,  were  broken 
by  the  shower  of  shot,  stones,  &c.,  which  fell,  but 
the  actual  concussion  destroyed  the  greater  part. 
Numbers  of  houses  were  remaining  in  their  di- 
lapidated state,  and  presented  a  curious  scene.  We 
went  to  see  the  spot  where  the  house  stood,  for  the 
house  itself,  like  the  temple  of  Loretto,  disappeared 
altogether.  Some  others  near  it  were  on  their  last 


156        BEFORE    AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

legs — top,  beams,  doors,  all  blown  away.  Even  the 
trees  in  a  garden  were  in  part  thrown  down,  and 
the  larger  ones  much  excoriated.  Only  one  person 
was  killed  on  the  spot,  supposed  to  have  been  a 
marauder  who  was  pillaging  near  the  place.  Another 
person  about  half  a  mile  off,  driving  away  his  furni- 
ture to  a  place  of  safety,  was  wounded,  and  died 
soon  afterwards. 

From  Meaux,  I  may  say  almost  all  the  way  to 
Chalons,  a  distance  of  above  1 50  miles,  the  country 
bore  lamentable  marks  of  the  scourge  with  which 
it  has  been  afflicted.  I  will  allow  you — I  would 
allow  myself  perhaps,  when  I  look  back  to  the 
circumstances  connected  with  the  war — to  wish 
that  all  the  country,  Paris  included,  had  been 
sacked  and  pillaged  as  a  just  punishment,  or  rather 
as  the  sole  mode  of  convincing  these  infatuated 
people  that  they  are  the  conquered  and  not  the 
Conqueror  of  the  Allies.  Wherever  I  go,  whatever 
field  of  battle  I  see — be  it  Craon,  Laon,  Soissons, 
or  elsewhere — victory  is  never  accorded  to  the 
Russians.  "  Oh  non,  les  Russes  etaient  toujours 
vaincus."  One  fellow  who  had  been  one  of  Buona- 
parte's guides  at  Craon  had  the  impudence  to 
assure  me  that  the  moment  he  appeared  the  Allies 
ran  away.  "Aye,  but,"  said  I,  "how  came  the 
French  to  retreat  and  leave  them  alone  ?  "  "  Oh, 
because  just  then  the  trahison  which  had  been  all 
arranged  19  months  before  began  to  appear." 

Again,  at  Laon  I  was  assured  that  the  French 
drove   all   before    them,    and    gained   the   heights. 


1814]  CHATEAU   THIERRY  157 

"Then,"  said  I,  "why  did  not  they  stay  there?" 
"  Oh,  then  reappeared  'la  petite  trakison,'  "  and  so 
they  go  on,  and  well  do  they  deserve,  and  heartily 
do  I  wish,  to  have  their  pride  and  impudence 
lowered.  But  when  I  see  what  war  is,  when  I  see 
the  devastation  this  comet  bears  in  its  sweeping  tail, 
its  dreadful  impartiality  involving  alike  the  innocent 
and  the  guilty,  I  should  be  very  sorry  if  it  depended 
on  me  to  pronounce  sentence,  or  cry  "  havoc  and 
let  loose."  .  .  . 

On  the  1 4th  we  slept  at  Chateau  Thierry — such 
an  Inn,  and  such  insolent  pigs  of  people  !  Spain 
was  scarcely  worse  .  .  .  added  to  the  filthiness  of 
the  place,  a  diligence  happened  at  the  same  time  to 
pour  forth  its  contents  in  the  shape  of  a  crew  of  the 
most  vulgar,  dirty  French  officers  I  ever  saw.  It 
was  well  we  had  no  communication  with  them,  for 
by  the  conversation  I  overheard  in  the  next  room 
there  would  have  been  little  mutual  satisfaction  : 
"  Oh !  voici  un  regiment  (alluding  to  us  5)  de  ces 
Anglois  dans  la  maison !  ou  vont-ils  les  Coquins  ?  " 
"  Moi  je  ne  sais  pas,  les  vilains !  "  Luckily  they  all 
tumbled  upstairs  to  bed  very  soon,  each  with  a  cigar 
smoking  and  puffing  from  beneath  the  penthouse  of 
their  huge  moustachios,  during  their  ascent,  by 
the  by,  keeping  the  Landlady  in  hot  water  lest  they 
should  break  into  her  best  bedroom,  of  which  she 
carefully  kept  the  key,  telling  me  at  the  same  time 
she  was  afraid  of  their  insisting  upon  having  clean 
sheets.  By  their  appearance,  however,  I  did  not 
conceive  her  to  be  in  much  danger  of  so  unfair  a 


158       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

demand.  We  had  the  clean  sheets,  damp  enough, 
but  no  matter — she  remembered  them  in  the  Bill 
most  handsomely,  and  when  I  remonstrated  against 
some  of  her  charges,  for  I  must  observe  that  we 
dined  in  a  wretched  hole  with  our  postillions,  she 
checked  me  by  saying,  "  Comment,  Monsieur,  c'est 
trop !  Cela  ne  se  peut  pas ;  comme  tout  ici  est  si 
charmant."  .  .  .  There  was  no  reply  to  be  made 
to  such  an  appeal,  so  I  bowed,  paid,  and  retired. 
Then  the  bridge  was  blown  up,  the  streets  speckled 
with  bullets.  Near  the  bridge,  which  had  been 
smartly  contested,  the  houses  were  actually  riddled, 
yet  here  the  Emperor  stood  exposed  as  quiet  and 
unconcerned  amidst  the  balls  as  if  (to  use  their  own 
expression)  he  had  been  "  chez  lui." 

As  we  advanced  the  marks  of  war  became 
stronger  and  stronger,  every  village  wore  a  rueful 
aspect,  and  every  individual  told  a  tale  more  and 
more  harrowing  to  the  feelings.  The  Postmasters 
seem  to  have  been  the  greatest  sufferers,  as  their 
situation  demanded  a  large  supply  of  corn,  horses 
and  forage,  all  of  which,  even  to  the  chickens,  were 
carried  off.  One  poor  woman,  wife  of  a  post- 
master, a  very  well-behaved,  gentlewoman-like  sort 
of  person,  told  me  that  when  80,000  Russians  came 
to  their  town  she  escaped  into  the  woods  (you  will 
remember  the  snow  was  then  deep  on  the  ground 
and  the  cold  excessive)  where  for  two  days  she  and 
her  family  had  nothing  to  eat.  The  Cossacs  then 
found  her,  but  did  no  harm,  only  asking  for  food. 
I  mention  her  case  not  as  singular,  for  it  was  the 


1814]  RUIN   AND  DESOLATION  159 

lot  of  thousands,  but  merely  to  shew  what  people 
must  expect  when  Enemies  approach. 

Soissons  was  the  next  place,  and  compared  with 
the  scene  of  desolation  there  presented  all  that  we 
had  hitherto  seen  was  trifling. 

I  little  thought  last  February  that  in  July  I 
should  witness  such  superlatively  interesting  scenes. 
With  the  exception  of  Elba  alone,  ours  has  been  the 
very  best  tour  that  could  have  been  taken,  and 
exactly  at  the  right  time,  for  I  apprehend  that 
a  month  ago  we  could  not  have  passed  the 
country.  .  .  . 

LETTER   VIII. 

MAYENCE,  July  22nd. 

Our  speed  outstrips  my  pen.  I  am  to  retrace  our 
steps  to  Soissons,  whereas  here  we  are  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine,  which  is  hurrying  majestically 
by  to  terminate  its  course  amongst  the  dykes  of 
Holland. 

The  nearer  we  came  to  Soissons1  the  nearer  we 
perceived  we  were  to  the  field  of  some  terrible 
contest,  and  the  suburbs,  where  the  thickest  of  the 
fight  took  place,  presented  a  frightful  picture  of  war, 
not  a  house  entire.  It  seems  they  were  unroofed 
for  the  convenience  of  the  attacking  party,  or  set 
on  fire,  an  operation  which  took  up  a  very  short 
space  of  time,  thanks  to  the  energetic  labours  of 
about  50  or  60,000  men.  Indeed,  fire  and  sword 

1  Soissons  had  been  taken  in  February  by  the  Russians  under 
Winzingerode. 


160        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

had    done    their    utmost — burnt    beams,    battered 
doors,  not  a  vestige  of  furniture  or  window  frames. 
I  cannot  give  you  a  better  idea  of  the  quantity  of 
shot,  and  consequent  number  of  beings  who  must 
have  perished,   than  by  assuring  you  that  on  one 
front  of  a  house  about  the  extent  of  our  home,  and 
which  was  not  more  favoured  than  its  neighbours, 
I  counted  between  2  and  300  bullet  marks.     I  was 
leaning  against  a  bit  of  broken  wall  in  a  garden, 
which  appeared  to  be   the   doorway  to  a   sort  of 
cellar,   taking  a  sketch,   when  the  gardener  came 
up  and  gave  me  some  particulars  of  the  fight.     He 
pointed  to  this  cave  or  cellar  as  the  place  of  shelter 
in  which  he  and  44  others  had  been  concealed,  every 
moment  dreading  a  discovery   which,  whether  by 
friend   or  foe,   they  looked  upon  as  equally  fatal. 
Fortunately  the  foe  were  the  discoverers.     Upon 
the   termination    of    the    battle,    which    had    been 
favourable   to    the    Allies,    in    came    a    parcel   of 
Russians    upon    the    trembling     peasants.       Con- 
ceiving it  to  be  a  hiding-place  for  French  soldiers, 
they  rushed  upon  them,  but  finding  none,  satisfied 
themselves   with   asking   what    business   they   had 
there,    and    turning    them    out    to   find    their  way 
through  blood  and  slaughter  to  some  more  secure 
place  of  shelter.     A  small  mill  pool  had  been  so 
completely  choked  with  dead  that  they  were  obliged 
to  let  off  the  water  and   clean    it  out.     With  Sir 
Charles  Stuart's  dispatches  cut  out  of  the  Maccles- 
field   Paper  we  ascended  the  Cathedral,  and  from 
thence,  as  upon  a  map,  traced  out  the  operations  of 


1814]  AN  UNWARY  GENERAL  161 

both  armies.  Soissons  is  half  surrounded  by  the 
Aisne,  and  stands  on  a  fine  plain,  upon  which  the 
Russians  displayed.  Buonaparte,  in  one  of  his 
Bulletins,  abuses  a  governor  who  allowed  the 
Allies  to  take  possession  of  the  town  when  he 
was  in  pursuit,  thus  giving  them  a  passage  over 
the  river,  adding  that  had  that  governor  done  his 
duty  the  Russians  might  have  been  cut  off.  In 
England  this  was  all  voted  "  leather  and  prunello  " 
and  a  mere  vapouring  opinion  of  the  Emperor's,  but 
as  far  as  I  could  observe  he  was  perfectly  right,  and 
had  the  governor  been  acting  under  my  orders  I 
question  much  whether  I  should  not  have  hanged 
him.  In  looking  about  we  were  shewn  a  sort  of 
town  hall,  with  windows  ornamented  with  the  most 
beautiful  painted  glass  you  ever  saw — nice  little 
figures,  trophies,  landscapes,  &c. — but  a  party  of 
Russians  had  unfortunately  been  lodged  there,  and 
the  glass  was  almost  all  smashed.  I  procured  a 
specimen,  but  alas !  portmanteaus  are  not  the  best 
packing-cases  for  glass,  and  in  my  possession  it 
fared  little  better  than  with  the  Cossacks.  How- 
ever, if  it  is  pulverised,  I  will  bring  it  home  as 
a  Souvenir.  •.  .  . 

From  Soissons  to  Laon  the  country  is  uninterest- 
ing except  from  the  late  events.  With  the  exception 
of  the  first  view  of  the  plain  and  town  of  Laon,  we 
passed  village  after  village  in  the  same  state  of  ruin 
and  dilapidation.  Chavignon,  about  4  miles  from 
Laon,  seemed,  however,  to  have  been  more  particu- 
larly the  object  of  vengeance ;  it  was  throughout 

11 


162       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

nearly  a  repetition  of  the  suburbs  of  Soissons. 
Laon  rises  like  a  sort  of  Gibraltar  from  a  rich  and 
beautiful  plain  covered  with  little  woods,  vineyards, 
villages,  and  cornfields ;  the  summit  is  crowned  with 
an  old  castle,  the  town  with  its  Cathedral  towers 
and  a  parcel  of  windmills.  Buonaparte  had  been 
extremely  anxious  to  dislodge  the  allies ;  for  two 
days  made  a  furious  and  almost  incessant  attack, 
which  was  fortunately  unsuccessful  owing,  to  speak 
in  French  terms,  to  la  petite  trahison,  in  plain 
English,  the  bravery  of  the  Russians,  who  not  only 
withstood  the  repeated  shocks,  but  pursued  the 
enemy  all  the  way  to  Soissons,  every  little  copse 
and  wood  becoming  a  scene  of  contest,  and  the 
whole  plain  was  strewed  with  dead.  Since  quitting 
Rouen  I  do  not  recollect  any  town  at  all  to  be  com- 
pared with  Laon  either  in  point  of  scenery  without 
or  picturesque  beauty  within ;  it  is  one  of  the  most 
curious  old  places  I  ever  saw — Round  Towers,  Gate- 
ways, &c.  We  took  up  our  quarters  at  an  odd-look- 
ing Inn,  with  the  nicest  people  we  had  met  with  for 
some  time.  They  spoke  with  horror  of  the  miseries 
they  had  undergone  in  this  Inn,  not  much  larger 
than  Cutts'  at  Wilmslow ;  they  had  daily  to  feed 
and  accommodate  for  upwards  of  two  months  150 
Russians  of  all  descriptions,  and  this  at  a  moment 
when  provisions  were,  of  course,  extremely  dear. 
The  landlord's  daughter  with  two  friends  were 
imprisoned,  actually  afraid  of  putting  their  noses 
beyond  the  keyhole ;  luckily  they  could  make 
artificial  flowers,  and  two  of  them  drew  remarkably 


1814]  ROAST  DOG  163 

well ;  a  favourite  dog  of  the  landlord's  was  their 
companion.  A  Cossack  had  one  day  taken  him  by 
the  tail  with  the  firm  intent  to  put  him  on  the 
kitchen  fire,  the  bare  recollection  of  which  kindled 
all  our  host's  anger,  and  he  declared  that  had  his 
poor  dog  been  roasted,  though  he  well  knew  the 
consequence,  he  should  have  shot  the  Cossack ; 
fortunately  the  dog  escaped,  but  as  his  Master 
assured  me,  never  smelt  or  heard  a  Cossack's  name 
mentioned  afterwards  without  popping  his  tail 
between  his  legs  and  making  off  with  the  utmost 
speed.  Both  at  this  place  and  at  Soissons  we  met 
with  people  with  whom  Davenport 1  had  lodged,  and 
in  both  places  he  has  established  a  character  which 
reflects  the  highest  credit  on  his  activity,  humanity, 
and  generosity.  He  was  no  idle  spectator ;  he 
went  about  endeavouring  by  every  means  in  his 
power  to  alleviate  the  miseries  of  war  by  protecting 
persons  and  property,  and  by  administering  to  the 
wants  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of  every  descrip- 
tion. .  .  . 

On  the  1 6th  we  quitted  Laon  for  Berry  au  Bac, 
passing  through  Corbeny  and  close  to  the  heights 
of  Craon,  upon  which  a  battle  was  fought  which 
might  be  considered  as  the  coup  de  grace  to  the 
French.  The  Emperor  commanded  in  person  ;  he 
talked  nearly  half  an  hour  with  the  Postmaster, 
whom  he  summoned  before  him  ;  if  the  man  spoke 
truth,  his  conversation  appears  to  have  been  rather 
childish.  After  asking  many  questions  about  the 

1  E.  D.  Davenport,  Esq.,  of  Capesthorne,  Cheshire,  1778-1847. 


164       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

roads  and  country,  he  vented  a  torrent  of  abuse 
against  the  Russians,  upon  whom  he  assured  the 
Postmaster  it  was  his  intention  to  inflict  summary 
punishment,  and,  indeed,  according  to  the  French 
translation  of  the  business,  he  actually  did  so,  tho 
I  never  could  find  out  that  any  other  of  the  Imperial 
troops  remained  to  enjoy  the  victory  on  these  said 
heights,  saving  and  except  the  wounded  and  killed ; 
one  spot  was  pointed  out  where  in  one  grave 
were  deposited  the  remains  of  3,000.  .  .  . 

In  this  village  of  Corbeny  there  had  been  sad 
devastation ;  but  it  was  at  Berry  au  Bac  that  we 
were  to  see  the  superlative  degree  of  misery.  This 
unfortunate  little  town  had  been  captured  7  times — 
4  times  by  the  Russians,  3  times  by  the  French ;  their 
bridge,  a  beautiful  work  of  3  arches,  only  completed 
in  December,  was  blown  up  March  19.  The  houses 
fared  no  better  ;  whole  streets  were  annihilated— 
chiefly  for  the  sake  of  burning  the  beams  for  fire- 
wood by  the  Russians — but  the  walls  were  in  great 
measure  knocked  over  by  the  French,  for  what 
other  purpose  than  wanton  cruelty  I  could  not  learn. 
Pillage  and  violence  of  every  description  had  been 
excessive.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  died  of  pure 
fright ;  a  gentlemanlike-looking  man  assured  me  his 
own  father  was  of  the  number.  Even  here  the 
Cossacks  were  complimented  for  their  comparative 
good  behaviour,  while  the  French  and  the  Emperor 
were  justly  execrated — "Plait  a  Dieu"  said  a  poor 
man  who  stood  moaning  over  the  ruins  of  his  cottage, 
"  Plait  a  Dieu,  qu'il  soit  mort,  et  qu'on  n'entendit 


I 


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1814]  A  KIND  ENEMY  165 

plus  de  Napoleon  "  ; — the  old  woman,  his  wife,  told 
me  they  only  feared  the  Cossacks  when  they  were 
drunk.  An  old  Cossack  had  taken  up  his  quarters 
with  them — "  Ah  c'etait  un  bon  Viellard ;  un  bon 
Papa." 

One  day  a  party  of  20  or  30  drunken  Cossacks 
broke  into  their  yard,  and  insisted  on  entering  the 
house  ;  the  old  woman  said  she  had  nothing  to  fear 
and  would  have  opened  the  door,  but  the  Cossack 
seized  her,  saying,  "  There  is  but  one  way  to  save 
you,"  and  taking  her  by  the  arm,  shewed  her  to  his 
companions  as  his  prize  and  threatened  the  man  who 
should  touch  his  property  with  instant  death.  They 
did  not  dispute  the  matter  with  him  and  retired 
quietly.  When  they  were  out  of  sight  he  told  her  to 
follow  him,  and  led  her  3  or  4  miles  up  the  country 
amongst  the  woods  and  left  her  in  a  place  of  safety, 
taking  a  kind  leave  of  her  and  saying,  "I  have  done 
all  I  could  for  you,  now  farewell  " — and  she  saw  no 
more  of  him.  .  .  . 

We  arrived  at  Rheims  on  the  evening  of  the 
1 6th,  a  large,  fine,  regular,  dull-looking  city  in  a  dull- 
looking  plain.  The  Cathedral  is  grand  enough,  but  I 
felt  no  wish  to  remain  till  the  Coronation.  Hitherto 
we  had  seen  inanimate  vestiges  of  war,  at  Rheims 
we  were  to  see  the  living  effects.  By  accident  we 
passed  the  door  of  a  large  Church  or  Hall  which 
had  been  converted  into  an  Hospital  for  400 
Russian  prisoners,  and  on  benches  near  the  porch 
were  seated  some  convalescent  patients  without 
arms  or  legs.  We  stopped  to  speak  to  them  as  well 


166       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

as  we  could,  and  upon  saying  we  were  Englanders, 
one  of  the  Russians  with  evident  rapture  and  un- 
feigned delight  made  signs  that  there  was  a  British 
soldier  amongst  their  number,  and  immediately  4  or 
5  of  them  ran  to  bring  him  out ;  and  such  a  poor 
object  did  appear  dragged  along,  his  legs  withered 
away  and  emaciated  to  the  last  degree.  He  had 
been  wounded  at  St.  Jean  de  Luz  in  the  thigh,  and 
subsequently  afflicted  with  a  fever  which  had  thus 
deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his  limbs.  We  gave 
something  to  those  who  were  nearest,  and  on  my 
asking  if  any  Prussian  was  there  to  whom  I  could 
speak  in  French,  as  I  wished  to  express  our  desire 
but  inability  to  relieve  all,  I  was  conducted  through 
the  wards  to  a  miserable  being  who  was  seated  with 
his  head  suspended  in  a  sling  from  the  top  of  the 
bed,  both  legs  dreadfully  shattered,  and  unable  to 
support  himself  upright  through  extreme  weakness. 
During  the  whole  of  supper-time  the  Hospital 
and  this  Englishman  hung  heavy  on  my  mind  ;  I 
felt  as  if  I  had  not  done  enough,  and  that  I  might 
be  of  use  in  writing  to  his  friends.  Accordingly 
about  10  o'clock  I  went  again  to  the  Gate  and 
begged  admittance.  On  mentioning  my  wish  to  see 
the'  Englishman,  I  was  immediately  allowed  to 
enter,  and  conducted  up  the  wards.  On  each  side 
were  small  beds,  clean,  and  in  admirable  order  ; 
there  was  nothing  to  interrupt  the  silence  but  our 
own  echoing  footsteps  and  the  groans  of  the  poor 
patients  all  round.  The  Nurses  were  in  the  costume 
of  Nuns,  and  from  religious  principles  undertake 


1814]          A  WOUNDED  ENGLISHMAN  167 

the  care  of  the  sick — there  was  something  very 
awful  in  marching  up  the  aisles  with  these  con- 
ductors at  this  time.  My  poor  countryman  was 
asleep  when  I  came  to  his  bedside.  I  took  down 
memorandums  of  his  case,  and  promised  to  write 
to  his  friends,  and  left  him  money  to  assist  him  on 
his  road  home,  should  he  (of  which  I  much  doubt) 
ever  recover. 

I  staid  with  him  some  time  ;  in  the  course  of  the 
conversation  some  wounded  Prussians  came  up  on 
their  crutches,  and  it  was  quite  gratifying  to  see 
their  kindness  and  goodwill  to  this  poor  fellow  who, 
sole  of  his  nation  and  kindred,  was  wasting  away 
amongst  strangers.  They  patted  him  on  his  head, 
called  him  their  cher  and  bon  garcon,  lifted  him  up 
that  he  might  see  and  hear  better,  and  he  assured 
me  that  by  them  and  by  all  the  attendants  he  was 
treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  attention. 
Amongst  400  wounded  soldiers  whose  deep  groans 
and  ghastly  countenances  announced  that  many 
were  almost  passing  the  barrier  which  separates  the 
mortal  from  the  immortal,  with  their  nurses  by  my 
side  holding  their  glimmering  tapers,  each  arrayed 
in  the  order  of  their  religion  and  wearing  the  Cross 
as  the  badge  of  their  profession,  was  a  situation  in 
which  I  had  never  before  been  placed.  In  offering 
ministerial  advice,  and,  I  trust,  affording  religious 
consolation  under  circumstances  so  solemn  and 
peculiar,  you  may  conceive  that  I  did  speak  with  all 
the  earnestness  and  fervour  in  my  power.  I  told 
the  nurses  who  and  what  I  was,  and  so  far  from 


168        BEFOKE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

entertaining  any  illiberal  ideas  as  to  the  propriety 
of  my  interfering  in  what  might  be  called  their 
clerical  department,  they  expressed  the  greatest 
pleasure  and  seemed  to  rejoice  that  their  patient 
was  visited  by  one  of  his  own  ministers.  .  .  .  Thus 
ended  my  visit  to  the  Hospital  at  Rheims,  which  I 
never  can  forget. 

We  travelled  the  next  day  to  Verdun,  bidding 
adieu  to  the  Hibberts  at  Chalons. 

You  will  ask  if  we  have  seen  any  vestiges  of  war 
on  the  soil  such  as  bodies.  We  have  met  with  a 
tolerable  quantity  of  dead  horses  by  the  roadside 
and  in  ditchesj  but  only  one  human  being,  half 
scratched  up  by  a  dog,  has  appeared  ;  a  few  rags  of 
uniform  dangling  upon  the  skeleton  bones  called 
our  attention  to  it. 

Verdun  is  a  very  comfortable  town  of  consider- 
able extent  decently  fortified ;  the  number  of 
English  there  was  from  1,000  to  1,100  ;  they  were 
all  sent  off  in  a  hurry.  At  5  in  the  evening  they 
received  the  order,  at  7  the  next  morning  the 
greater  part  were  off,  and  24  hours  afterward  the 
Allies  hovered  round  the  town.  The  French  boast, 
and  nobody  can  contradict  the  assertion,  that  the 
Allies  were  never  able  to  take  their  fortresses  ; 
certainly  not ;  for  they  never  attempted.  Instead 
of  losing  their  time  in  besieging,  they  left  a  few  to 
mark  the  place  and  went  on.  ...  The  English 
prisoners  seem  to  have  enjoyed  every  comfort  they 
could  expect — in  fact,  their  imprisonment  was  in 
great  measure  nominal ;  with  little  difficulty  they 


.. 


1814]  EXTRA   PASSENGERS  169 

were  allowed  to  go  as  far  as  the)'  wished  ;  they 
were  noticed  by  the  inhabitants,  and  many  have 
married  and  settled  in  France.  I  think  the 
prisoners  in  England  have  not  been  so  well  off, 
and  complain  with  reason. 

We  went  to  the  English  church  and  Theatre, 
and  saw  as  much  as  we  could  for  half  a  day.  For 
the  honor  of  my  country  I  lament  to  say  that  many 
here  contracted  heavy  debts  which  are  not  likely  to 
be  paid.  Some  instances  were  mentioned,  the 
truth  of  which  were  proved  by  letters  I  read  from 
the  parties  themselves,  little  creditable  to  our 
national  character,  and  by  persons,  too,  who  ought 
to  have  known  better.  On  the  i8th  we  left  Verdun 
for  Metz.  I  had  always  winked  at  and  generally 
encouraged  the  addition  of  another  passenger 
behind  our  Cabriolet.  The  road  was  quite  crowded 
with  straggling  soldiers  going  or  returning  to  their 
several  homes  or  regiments.  We  rarely  passed  in 
a  day  less  than  2  or  300,  and  really  sometimes  in 
situations  so  very  favorable  to  robbing  that  I  am 
surprised  we  were  never  attacked,  their  appearance 
being  generally  stamped  with  a  character  perfectly 
congenial  to  the  Banditti  Trade — dark,  whiskered, 
sunburnt  visages,  with  ragged  uniform  and  naked 
feet.  Sometimes  we  were  more  fortunate  than  at 
others ;  for  instance,  stragglers  from  the  Hamburg 
garrison,  whose  wan  faces  bore  testimony  to  the 
fact  they  related  of  having  lived  for  the  last  4  or  5 
months  on  horseflesh  ;  but  our  charitable  assistance 
was  to  be  this  day  most  abundantly  rewarded.  We 


170       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

overtook  a  poor  fellow,  more  wretched  than  most 
we  had  seen,  toiling  away  with  his  bivouacking 
cloak  tied  round  him.  He,  too,  solicited,  and  mis- 
understanding my  answer,  said  in  the  most  pitiable 
but  submissive  tone,  "Alors,  Monsieur  ne  per- 
mettra  pas  que  je  monte?"  "Tout  au  contraire," 
said  I.  "  Montez  tout  de  suite."  After  proceeding 
a  little  way  I  thought  I  might  as  well  see  who  we 
had  got  behind  us,  and  guess  my  astonishment 
when  I  received  the  answer.  Who  do  you  imagine, 
of  all  the  people  in  the  world,  Buonaparte  had  raked 
forth  to  secure  the  Imperial  Diadem  upon  his  brow, 
to  fight  his  battles,  and  deal  in  blood,  but — A  monk 
of  La  Trappe.  For  three  years  had  he  resided  in 
Silence  and  solitude  in  this  most  severe  society 
when  Buonaparte  suppressed  it,  and  insisted  that  all 
the  Noviciate  Monks  in  No.  36  should  sally  forth 
and  henceforth  wield  both  their  swords  and  their 
tongues ;  with  lingering  steps  and  slow  our  poor 
companion  went.  In  the  battle  of  Lutzen l  he 
fought  and  conquered.  In  Leipsic2  he  fought  and 
fell — the  wind  of  a  shot  tore  his  eye  out  and  struck 
him  down,  and  the  shot  killed  his  next  neighbour 
upon  the  spot ;  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Swedes,  and  was  now  returning!;  from  Stockholm 

O 

to  his  brethren  near  Fribourg.  The  simplicity  with 
which  he  told  his  tale  bore  ample  testimony  to  the 
Truth,  but  in  addition  he  shewed  me  his  Rosary 
and  credentials.  After  having  talked  over  the 
battle  I  changed  the  subject,  and  determined  to  see 
1  May,  1813.  2  October,  1813. 


1814]  A  MONK  OF  LA  TRAPPE  171 

if  he  could  wield  the  sword  of  controversy  as  well 
as  of  war ;  and  accordingly  telling  him  who  I  was, 
asked  his  opinion  of  the  Protestant  Faith  and  the 
chief  points  of  difference  between  us.  He  hesitated 
a  little  at  first :  "  Attendez,  Monsieur,  il  faut  que  je 
pense  un  peu."  In  about  a  minute  he  tapped  at 
the  carriage.  "  Eh  bien,  Monsieur,  j'ai  penseV'  and 
then  entered  upon  the  subject,  which  he  discussed 
with  much  good  sense  and  ability,  sometimes  in 
Latin,  sometimes  in  French  ;  and  though  he  sup- 
ported his  argument  well  and  manfully,  he  displayed 
a  liberality  of  sentiment  and  a  spirit  of  true  Chris- 
tianity which  quite  attached  me  to  him.  I  asked 
him  his  opinion  of  the  salvability  of  protestants 
and  infallibility  of  Catholics.  "  Ecoutez  moi,"  was 
his  reply.  "  Je  pense  que  ceux  qui  savent  que  la 
Religion  Catholique  est  la  vraie  Religion  et  ne  la 
pratiquent  pas,  seront  damnes,  mais  pour  ceux  qui 
ne  pensent  pas  comme  nous.  Oh  non,  Seiior,  ne  le 
croyez  pas.  Oh  mon  Dieu !  non,  non !  jamais, 
jamais ! "  "  Are  you  quite  sure  a  minister  ought 
not  to  marry  ?  You  will  recollect  St.  Peter  was 
a  married  man."  "  Oh  que,  oui,  c'est  vrai,  mais  le 
moment  qu'il  suivit  notre  Seigneur  on  n'entend  plus 
de  sa  femme."  From  this  we  proceeded  to  various 
other  topics,  amongst  others  to  the  propriety  of 
renouncing  a  religion  in  which  we  conceived  there 
were  erroneous  opinions.  "  Senor,  ecoutez,"  said 
he,  "  can  that  religion  be  good  which  springs  from 
a  bad  principle  ?  Les  Anglois  etaient  une  fois 
des  bons  Catholiques ;  le  Divorce  d'un  Roi  capri- 


172       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

cieux  fut  la  cause  de  leur  changement.  Ah,  cela 
n'etait  pas  bon."  .  .  . 

When  we  were  on  the  point  of  parting  he  turned 
to  me  :  "  Senor,  j'espere  que  je  ne  vous  ai  pas 
fache,  si  je  me  suis  exprime  trop  fortement  devant 
vous  qui  m'avez  tant  rendu  service,  il  faut  me  par- 
donner,  je  suis  pauvre  et  malheureux,  mais  je 
pensois  que  c'etait  mon  devoir." 

It  was  as  lucky  a  meeting  for  him  as  for  me. 
I  assisted  him  with  money  to  expedite  him  home- 
wards, and  he  entertained  and  interested  me  all  the 
way  to  Metz,  when,  much  against  my  will,  we 
parted,  for  had  he  been  going  to  Pekin  I  should 
have  accommodated  him  with  a  seat.  .  .  . 

LETTER  IX. 

COLOGNE,  July  2$th. 

If  you  could  see  what  I  now  see,  or  form  any 
ideas  adequate  to  the  scenery  around  me,  you 
would  indeed  prize  a  letter  which,  though  com- 
menced at  4  in  the  morning,  cannot  be  valued  at 
a  less  price  than  2  or  3  old  Castles ;  but  it  is  not 
yet  the  moment  to  sing  the  praises  of  the  Rhine. 
I  shall  only  say  that  we  slept  at  Bacharach,  and 
that  I  am  now  looking  at  4  old  Castles  whenever 
I  raise  my  eyes  from  the  paper,  and  that  a  fine  old 
Abbey  is  only  eclipsed  by  the  gable  end  of  a 
Church,  equally  curious,  which  is  almost  thrusting 
itself  into  the  window  as  if  to  look  at  the  strangers. 

Little  enlivened  our  day  after  parting  with  our 
Monk,  unless  I  should  except  a  good  scene  from 


1814]  JACK  BOOTS  173 

a  picture  which  happened  at  one  of  the  Post 
houses.  No  Postillions  were  at  home,  so  the 
Landlord  himself  was  to  drive — an  enormous  man, 
rather  infirm,  with  a  night-cap  on  his  head,  from 
whence  emerged  a  long  pigtail.  It  was  necessary 
he  should  be  put  into  his  Jack  boots.  By  Jack 
boots  you  are  to  understand  two  large  things  as 
big  as  portmanteaus,  always  reminding  me  of  boots 
fit  for  the  leg  which  appears  in  the  Castle  of 
Otranto.  Accordingly  no  less  than  4  or  5  persons 
actually  lifted  the  Landlord  into  his  boots,  an 
operation  which,  from  the  weight  and  infirmities 
of  the  one  and  the  extreme  clumsiness  of  the 
others,  took  up  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  and, 
of  course,  when  fairly  deposited  in  them  he  was 
unable  to  move,  and  further  help  was  necessary  to 
place  him  on  the  saddle.  .  .  .  The  first  view  of 
Metz,  after  traversing  an  uninteresting  country,  is 
remarkably  fine.  It  stands  in  a  fine  rich  plain,  near 
though  beyond  the  reach  of  an  eminence — for  it 
does  not  deserve  the  name  of  a  mountain — the 
sides  of  which  are  covered  with  woods,  villages, 
and  vineyards.  There  is  something  very  grand  in 
entering  a  fortified  Town — the  clattering  of  draw- 
bridges, appearance  of  moats,  guns,  sentinels,  and 
all  the  other  etceteras  of  war.  Our  passports  were 
demanded  for  the  first  time.  At  length  we  were 
allowed  to  pass,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  large, 
clean  town,  chiefly  remarkable  for  its  Cathedral,  the 
painted  window  of  which  was  equal  to  any  I  ever 
saw.  The  first  thing  we  invariably  do  in  these 


174       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

towns  is  to  ascend  the  highest  spire,  from  whence 
the  general  plan  and  position  are  at  once  explained. 
Yon  need  not  be  alarmed.  There  is  no  fever  at 
present  at  Metz,  or  on  the  Rhine  ;  but  there  has 
been.  From  the  close  of  1813  and  until  the  last 
two  months  not  less  than  69,000  sick  or  wounded 
have  been  in  the  hospitals  at  Metz — a  large  Church 
contained  about  3,000  at  a  time,  the  remainder 
were  scattered  about  wherever  they  could  find 
room,  and  many  breathed  their  last  in  the  streets. 
Of  course,  such  a  concourse  of  dead  and  dying 
infested  the  air  to  a  certain  degree,  and  a  fever 
was  the  result.  However,  not  above  2  or  300 
inhabitants  suffered.  Of  the  sick  troops  from  12 
to  1,500  per  day  were  buried  without  the  town,  and 
quicklime  thrown  in.  We  supped  with  three  or 
four  Frenchmen  and  a  Genoese  officer,  one  of 
Buonaparte's  Imperial  Elites  of  the  Guard.  His 
form  and  countenance  were  quite  Vandyck — 
I  never  looked  upon  a  face  so  well  calculated  for 
a  picture  ;  his  dark  whiskers  and  black  curling  hair 
composed  an  admirable  frame  for  a  couple  of  the 
most  expressive  eyes ;  his  manners  were  extremely 
gentlemanlike,  and  you  may  conceive  I  did  not  talk 
and  look  at  him  with  any  diminution  of  interest 
when  I  found  he  was  on  his  way  home  from 
Moscow.  He  had  gone  through  the  whole  of  the 
retreat,  had  almost  reached  the  boundaries  of 
Poland,  when  at  Calick  he  was  wounded,  taken 
prisoner,  and  marched  back  to  Moscow.  His 
description  of  the  miseries  of  that  horrible  retreat 


1814]       THE   RETREAT  FROM   MOSCOW         175 

was  petrifying — when  a  horse  fell  it  was  instantly 
surrounded  by  famished  Frenchmen,  who  devoured 
the  carcase ;  not  merely  those  who  slept  were 
frozen,  but  even  sentries  upon  their  posts.  Yet 
with  all  this  he  imputed  no  blame  to  Buonaparte. 
The  Russians,  he  said,  had  reason  to  thank  the 
severity  of  their  climate,  without  which  they  must 
have  been  completely  conquered.  I  will  say  this, 
indeed,  that  the  Russians  themselves  seem  to  con- 
sider their  own  efforts  as  rather  secondary  to  the 
weather.  Besides  this  officer  we  had  a  Citizen  of 
Metz,  a  young  officer  of  the  Polytechnique  School 
who  had  fought  at  Montmartre,  and  a  youth  who 
was  silent ;  the  other  3,  however,  made  ample 
amends,  talking  incessantly,  and  all  equally  vehe- 
ment in  praise  of  Buonaparte.  The  officer  blessed 
his  stars  that  he  had  enough  to  live  upon,  and  that 
he  was  now  quitting  a  service  which,  having  lost 
its  brightest  ornament,  was  no  longer  interesting  or 
supportable.  The  young  Polytechnique  was  equally 
violent,  with  less  of  the  gentleman  to  soften  it 
down.  He,  too,  was  disgusted,  and  had  retired 
for  the  same  reason  (these  Frenchmen  are  sad  liars 
after  all).  Of  course,  as  he  had  been  engaged  with 
his  school  companions  I  thought  I  could  not  have 
a  better  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  number 
killed  at  Montmartre,  as  it  was  invariably  circulated 
and  believed  at  Paris  that  this  defence  was  noble  to 
a  degree  and  that  the  greater  part  perished  by  their 
guns.  You  will  recollect  that  the  Polytechnique 
cadets  I  met  on  the  heights  of  Montmartre  said  the 


same,  and  yet  the  youth  asserted  that  they  had  not 
lost  a  single  individual,  that  only  30  were  wounded, 
whereas  they  knocked  over  the  Russians  in  count- 
less multitudes.1  The  Citizen  took  the  best  ground 
for  his  Panegyric.  He  referred  us  to  the  roads,  the 
public  buildings,  the  national  improvements  which 
France  had  gained  under  the  dynasty  of  Napoleon  ; 
and  when  I  hinted  the  intolerable  weight  of  the 
taxes  (being  1/5  on  all  rents  and  property)  he  made 
light  of  them,  assuring  me  that  Frenchmen  had 
quite  enough  left  for  the  comforts  of  life.  When 
they  all  filled  their  glasses  to  drink  to  the  health  of 
their  hero  I  turned  to  the  Genoese  officer  and 
begged  first  to  drink  to  the  restoration  of  Genoa  to 
that  independence  of  which  Napoleon  had  in  great 
measure  deprived  her,  adding  that  her  present 
degradation  was  a  cruel  contrast  to  the  dignified 
station  she  once  held  in  Europe.  His  national 
superseded  his  Imperial  feelings,  and  he  drank 
my  toast  with  great  good  humour  and  satisfaction  ; 
nor  did  he  think  it  necessary  in  return  to  press  me 
to  drink  success  to  the  Emperor,  though  the  Citizen 
on  my  refusal,  half  in  joke,  half  in  earnest,  said  he 
wished  I  might  be  ill  off  for  the  rest  of  my 
journey. 

My  good  fortune  has  not  quitted  me,  however. 
The  next  morning  on  getting  into  the  Diligence 
we  found  only  one  passenger  —  Major  Kleist, 
nephew  to  the  celebrated  Prussian  General  and  to 

1  Subsequent  accounts  which  I  heard  proved  that  this  second 
account  was  nearer  the  truth  than  the  first  (E.  Stanley). 


1814]  MAJOR  KLEIST  177 

General  Tousein — a  Russian  equally  famous  here 
though  not  so  well  known  in  England.  His 
appearance  was  much  in  his  favor ;  he  talked 
a  great  deal :  had  commanded  a  regiment  of  the 
Russian  Imperial  Elites  of  the  Guard  (in  which 
he  still  was)  at  the  battle  of  Leipsic  and  throughout 
the  campaign  ;  been  engaged  in  every  action  from 
the  Borodino  to  the  capture  of  Paris ;  wounded 
two  or  three  times  ;  fought  a  French  Officer  in 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  got  his  finger  cut 
abominably ;  visited  London  and  Portsmouth  with 
his  Emperor,  dined  with  the  Regent,  &c.  He 
told  me  many  interesting  anecdotes  and  particulars, 
although,  from  a  certain  random  way  of  speaking 
and  the  loose,  unconnected  manner  in  which  his 
words  dropped  from  him,  I  could  not  place  implicit 
confidence  in  what  he  said,  nor  vouch  for  the 
accuracy  of  his  accounts.  He  said  decidedly  that 
Alexander  had  visited  the  Princess  of  Wales  in 
London  incog.  ;  he  mentioned  an  anecdote  which 
I  cannot  quite  believe,  because  had  it  occurred  in 
Paris  we  must  have  heard  of  it.  One  day  when 
Eugene  Beauharnais  was  with  Louis  XVIII.  Mar- 
mont  came  in.  Eugene,  on  seeing  him,  turned  to  the 
King,  said,  "Sire,  here  is  a  Traitor;  do  not  trust 
in  him  ;  he  has  betrayed  one  master,  he  may  betray 
you." 

Marmont,  of  course,  challenged  him  ;  they  fought 
the  next  day  and  Marmont  was  wounded  in  the 
arm.  He  spoke  highly  of  the  King  of  Prussia  as  a 
military,  unassuming,  amiable,  sensible  man,  and  that 

12 


178       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

he  does  visit  the  tomb  of  his  wife. l  Alexander,  he 
said,  was  fond  of  diplomacy,  an  amiable  man,  very 
brave,  but  not  much  of  a  general.  I  asked  him 
what  he  thought  of  the  Duchess  of  Oldenburg. 
When  I  said  she  had  excellent  sense  and  great 
information,  he  simply  replied,  "  Oui,  et  peut-etre 
un  peu  trop."  Of  Constantine 2  he  spoke  with 
indignation,  and  his  whiskers  vibrated  as  he 
described  his  detestable  character  —  debauched, 
depraved,  cruel,  dishonest,  and  a  coward.  Con- 
stantine was  abusing  a  Colonel  in  very  gross  tones, 
a  short  time  ago,  for  misconduct  and  incompetency 
in  battle.  "  Indeed  !  "  said  the  officer  ;  "  you  must 
have  been  misinformed ;  this  cannot  arise  from 
your  own  observation,  as  I  do  not  recollect  having 
ever  seen  you  near  me  upon  these  occasions." 

No  wonder  the  Russians  were  moderate  towards 
the  inhabitants  during  the  campaign — their  dis- 
cipline was  severe  enough.  Our  friend  the  Major 
caught  7  Cossacks  plundering  a  cottage ;  he  had 
them  all  tied  up  and  knouted  them  to  death  by 
the  moderate  infliction  of  1,000  blows  each.  In 
truth  he  seemed  to  hold  the  lives  of  these  gentle- 
men, including  the  Calmucs,  rather  cheap.  "  Pour 
moi,"  said  he,  "  Je  considere  un  Cossac,  un  Calmuc 
et  un  Moineau  a  peu  pres  comme  la  meme  chose." 

At  St.  Avoid  we  again  fell  in  with  a  regiment 
of  Russians,  or  rather  detachments  from  many 

1  Queen  Louise,  nee  Princess  of  Mecklenburg  Strelitz. 

2  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  brother  of  Czar  Alexander,  1779- 
1831. 


1814]       TYPES   OF  RUSSIAN  SOLDIERS          179 

regiments.  Whoever  they  were  they  did  not 
appear  to  be  in  high  favour  with  the  Major.  "  Our 
army,"  said  he,  "is  divided  into  three  classes — the 
first  we  can  trust  for  discipline  and  ability ;  the 
second  consists  of  Cossacks  and  other  irregulars, 
whose  business  is  reconnoitring,  plundering,  and 
running  away  when  they  see  the  Enemy ;  the 
men  before  you  compose  the  third — fellows  who 
know  nothing  and  do  nothing,  but  can  stand  quietly 
in  the  place  assigned  them  and  get  killed  one  after 
another  without  ever  thinking  of  turning  their 
backs " ;  and  their  appearance  was  very  like  their 
character — patient,  heavy,  slumbering,  hard-featured 
countenance  ;  sitting  or  standing  without  any 
appearance  of  animation. 

At  St.  Avoid  we  began  to  lose  the  French 
language,  and  from  this  my  fluency  was  reduced 
to  signs,  or  at  most  to  a  very  laconic  speech — "  Ich 
Englander,  Ich  woll  haben  Brod  mitt  Cafe,"  &c. 
At  Dendrich,  a  little  village  near  Forbach,  we 
crossed  the  new  line  of  demarcation  between 
France  and  Austria,  and  found  the  towns  chiefly 
occupied  by  Bavarians.  Unless  I  am  much  mis- 
taken, this  country  will  soon  be  a  bone  of  conten- 
tion ;  the  people  (as  far  as  I  can  judge  in  three 
days)  are  dissatisfied,  and  the  leaders  of  France 
look  with  a  jealous  eye  on  the  encroachment,  and 
an  imaginary  line  of  separation  will  not  easily  be 
respected.  Here  I  saw  what  is  meant  by  a  German 
forest — as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  all  was  wood. 
Austria  may,  if  she  pleases,  by  her  new  accession 


180        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

of  territory  become  charcoal  vendor  to  the  whole 
world.  The  road  is  excellent,  carried  on  in  a  fine, 
broad,  straight  line.  Till  Buonaparte  spoke  the 
word,  there  was  no  regular  communication  between 
Metz  and  Mayence,  now  there  is  not  a  more  noble 
road  for  travelling.  We  were  now  in  the  Hock 
country  ;  in  the  Villages  we  bought  what  I  should 
have  called  wine  of  the  same  sort  for  6d.  a 
bottle.  .  .  . 

On  Thursday,  the  2ist,  we  entered  Mayence, 
over  and  through  similar  drawbridges,  bastions, 
horn  works,  counterscarps  as  at  Metz ;  here  we 
met  a  curious  assemblage.  By  the  first  Gate 
were  stationed  a  guard  of  Prussians  with  the 
British  Lions  on  their  caps,  John  Bull  having 
supplied  some  Prussian  Regiments  with  Uniforms. 
At  the  next  gate  a  band  of  white  Austrians,  with 
their  caps  shaded  with  boughs  of  Acacia  (you  will 
remember  that  their  custom  of  wearing  green 
boughs  in  their  Hats  was  interpreted  by  the  French 
into  a  premeditated  insult).  These,  with  Saxons 
in  red,  Bavarians  in  light  blue,  and  Russians  in 
green,  made  out  the  remainder  of  the  motley  crew. 
We  found  an  excellent  Inn,  and  dined  at  a  Table 
d'Hote  with  about  30  people.  The  striking  contrast 
we  already  perceived  between  the  French  and 
Austrians  was  very  amusing,  the  former  all  bustle 
and  loquacity  with  dark  hair,  the  latter  grave  and 
sedate  with  light  hair;  the  Inns,  accommodation, 
eating,  &c.,  much  cleaner ;  a  band  played  to  us 
during  dinner,  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  the 


1814]  ANGLOPHOBIA  181 

Austrian  moustachios  recede  with  a  smile  of  satis- 
faction as  they  listened  to  the  "  Chasse  de  Henri 
Quatre." 

There  is  little  to  be  seen  in  the  town.  I  found 
a  most  intelligent  bookseller,  and  was  tantalised 
with  the  number  of  fine  Engravings,  &c.,  I  might 
have  purchased  for  a  trifle.  .  .  . 

I  have  heard  a  curious  political  report  repeated 
here,  which  is  current  all  over  the  Continent — that 
Austria  has  sold  the  Netherlands  and  Brabant  to 
England  ;  the  report  gains  credit  probably  because 
the  towns  in  that  part  of  the  country  are  still 
garrisoned  with  British  troops.  Poor  England  is 
certainly  not  much  beloved ;  we  are  admired, 
feared,  respected,  and  courted ;  but  these  people 
will  have,  and  perhaps  with  some  reason,  that  upon 
all  occasions  our  own  Interest  is  the  sole  object 
of  consideration  ;  that  our  Treaties  have  the  good 
of  ourselves  and  not  the  peace  of  Europe  at  heart ; 
and  so  far  they  carry  this  opinion,  that  I  was 
very  near  getting  into  a  quarrel  with  a  fat  man  in 
the  Diligence  who  spoke  it  as  a  common  idea  that 
we  fought  with  our  money  and  not  with  our  blood, 
for  that  we  were  too  rich  to  risk  our  lives,  and  had 
there  been  a  bridge  that  Napoleon  would  have 
been  in  London  long  ago.  I  told  him  he  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  the  matter  (to  which,  by  the 
bye,  he  afterwards  virtually  assented),  and  as  a 
Frenchman's  choler  does  not  last  long,  we  were 
good  friends  the  rest  of  the  journey,  and  he 
apologised  for  his  behaviour,  saying,  it  was  a  failing 


182        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

of  his — "de  s'^chauffer  bientot. '  Upon  one  point 
we  agreed,  too,  in  politics,  viz.,  being  Anti- 
Napoleonites. 

Now  for  the  Rhine.  At  10  o'clock  on  Friday, 
July  22nd,  in  a  little  rotten,  picturesque-looking 
boat  and  two  men  (preferring  a  private  conveyance 
to  the  public  passage  boats  for  the  convenience 
of  stopping  at  pleasure)  we  left  Mayence  ;  the  river 
here  is  about  half  a  mile  across,  traversable  by  a 
bridge  of  boats.  The  Maine  falls  into  it  just  above 
the  town,  and  there  appears  nothing  on  the  Frank- 
fort or  Strasburgh  side  to  interest  a  traveller's  eye, 
the  country  being  flat  vine  or  corn  land.  The 
Stream  runs  with  a  steady  rapidity  of  about  three 
and  a  half  or  4  miles  an  hour,  so  that  in  a  boat, 
with  the  addition  of  oars,  you  may  proceed  at  the 
rate  of  about  6  miles  an  hour.  The  distance 
to  Cologne  is  about  120  miles.  On  the  bank 
of  the  River  we  saw  some  of  those  immense 
floats  preparing  which  are  composed  of  timbers 
for  the  Holland  markets.  We  glided  with  an  im- 
perceptible motion  down  the  stream,  expecting  as 
we  proceeded  to  behold  the  magnificent  ruins  of 
which  we  had  heard  so  much.  But,  alas!  village 
succeeded  village,  town  followed  town,  and  yet 
not  a  single  turret  made  its  appearance.  We  sat 
with  our  sketch  books  in  battle  array,  but  our 
pencils  were  asleep ;  we  began  to  regret  the  un- 
interesting, even  country  we  had  passed  from  Metz 
to  Mayence,  and  the  time  which  might  be  called 
lost  in  coming  so  far  for  so  useless  a  purpose,  and 


1814]      THE   BEAUTIES   OF   THE   RHINE         183 

to  make  vow  after  vow  that  we  would  never  in 
future  believe  the  account  given  by  others  re- 
specting people  and  places.  By  this  time  our 
appetites  began  to  grow  keen,  luckily,  just  at  the 
time  when  our  spirits  began  to  flag,  and,  accord- 
ingly, we  went  on  shore  at  Rudesheim,  famous  for 
its  excellent  hock,  and  having  dispatched  a  dinner 
and  bottle  of  hock  we  ventured  forth  to  explore, 
and,  luckily,  fell  in  with  a  little  Gothic  round  tower, 
which,  with  the  dinner,  rather  raised  our  spirits 
and  enabled  us  to  proceed  4  or  5  miles  further 
to  Bingen  when  we  turned  a  Corner.  .  .  . 

I  verily  believe  such  another  corner  does  not 
exist  in  the  world.  From  the  corner  of  Bingen 
must  be  dated  the  beauties  of  the  Rhine,  and  from 
the  corner  of  Bingen  I  commence  my  next  letter ; 
suffice  it  now  to  say  that  the  moment  we  turned 
the  Corner  we  both,  with  one  impulse,  called  out, 
"  Oh  !  "  and  sat  in  the  boat  with  our  hands  uplifted 
in  speechless  astonishment.  .  .  . 

LETTER  X. 

Aix  LA  CHAPELLE,  July  27,  1814. 

I  left  you  turning  the  corner  of  Bingen,  now  let 
me  describe  what  there  presented  itself.  On  the  left 
a  beautiful  picturesque  town,  with  tower  and  pic- 
turesque-looking steeples  placed  each  exactly  on 
the  spot  an  artist  would  have  selected,  with  hills 
and  woods  on  each  side  and  a  bridge  running 
over  a  small  river  which  emptied  itself  in  the 


Rhine.  Immediately  before  us,  on  a  small  islet, 
stood  the  Tower  of  Mausthurm,  or  the  Mouse 
turret,  so  called  from  a  tradition  that  a  Baron 
once  locked  up  a  number  of  his  Vassals  in  a 
tower  and  then  set  fire  to  it  and  consumed  it  and 
its  inhabitants,  in  consequence  of  which  certain 
mice  haunted  him  by  day  and  by  night  to  such 
a  degree  that  he  fled  his  Country  and  built  this 
solitary  Tower  on  its  island.  But  all  this  would 
not  do.  The  Mice  pursued  him  to  his  Island, 
and  the  tale  ends  in  his  being  devoured  by  them 
there. 

On  both  sides  the  river  hills  covered  with  vines 
and  woods  rose  abruptly,  and  on  the  right,  tottering 
on  a  pinnacle  that  frowns  over  the  flood,  stood  the 
Castle  of  Ehrenfels.  .  .  . 

It  would  be  quite  impossible,  and  indeed  unneces- 
sary (as  my  sketch-book  can  best  unfold  the  tale), 
to  describe  all  we  saw.  For  above  100  miles, 
with  little  interruption,  the  same  scenery  pre- 
sented itself,  attaining  its  superlative  point  of 
grandeur  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lorich  and 
Bacharach.  It  might  be  called  a  perfect  Louvre 
of  old  Castles,  each  being  a  chef  d'ceuvre  of  its 
species.  I  could  almost  doubt  the  interference  of 
a  human  hand  in  their  creation.  Placed  upon 
elevated  and  apparently  impossible  crags,  they 
look  more  like  the  fortresses  of  the  Giants  when 
they  warred  against  the  Gods  than  any  thing  else. 
But  the  Castles  were  not  the  only  points  of  attrac- 
tion. Every  mile  presented  a  village  as  interesting 


1814]  A   CURIOUS   PHENOMENON  185 

as  the  battlements  which  threatened  to  crush  them 
to  death  from  above.  Each  vied  with  its  neigh- 
bour in  picturesque  beauty,  and  the  people  as  well 
as  the  buildings  in  these  remote  nooks  and  corners 
partook  of  the  wild  character  of  the  scenery.  A 
shower  of  rain  and  close  of  the  day  induced  us  to 
make  Bacharach  our  sleeping-place.  The  Land- 
lord, with  his  nightcap  on  his  head  and  pipe  in 
his  mouth,  expressed  no  surprise  at  our  appear- 
ance. The  coffee  and  the  milk  and  the  hock 
came  in  due  season  when  he  had  nodded 
acquiescence  to  my  demand,  and  he  puffed  away 
with  as  much  indifference  as  if  two  strange 
Englishmen  had  not  been  in  his  house.  We 
found  good  clean  beds,  and  should  have  slept 
very  well  but  for  the  deep-toned  Bell  of  the 
Church  within  a  few  yards  of  us,  which  tolled  the 
time  of  night  every  half-hour,  and  for  a  watchman 
who,  by  way  of  murdering  the  little  sleep  which  had 
survived  the  sound  of  the  Bell,  sounded  with  all  his 
might  a  cow-horn,  and  then,  as  if  perfectly  satis- 
fied that  he  had  awaked  every  soul  in  the  village, 
bawled  out  the  hour  and  retired,  leaving  them  just 
time  to  fall  asleep  again  before  the  half-hour  called 
for  a  repetition  of  his  exertions. 

Every  evening  about  dusk,  in  our  course  down 
the  river,  a  curious  Phenomenon  presented  itself 
which  to  me,  as  an  Entomologist,  had  peculiar 
charms.  We  were  surrounded  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  fall  of 
snow,  but  which,  in  fact,  was  a  cloud  of  beautiful 


186        BEFORE  AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

white  Ephemera  just  emerged  from  their  Chrysalis 
state  to  flutter  away  in  their  perfection  for  one  or 
two  hours  before  their  death.  I  mention  this  cir- 
cumstance now,  whilst  it  is  fresh  in  my  memory, 
for  I  really  should  hesitate  in  relating  it  before 
company  for  fear  of  being  accused  of  traveller's 
stories.  I  had  heard  of  them  before,  and  was 
therefore  not  so  much  surprised,  though  the 
infinite  number  was  truly  astonishing. 

On  Saturday,  23rd,  we  dined  and  spent  an  hour 
or  two  in  Coblentz,  which,  situated  at  the  junction 
of  the  Moselle  with  the  Rhine,  is  strongly  fortified 
towards  the  land.  There  is  little  worth  notice  in 
the  town  except  a  Stone  fountain  erected  by 
Napoleon,  from  the  pipes  of  which  run  the  united 
streams  of  the  two  rivers.  Upon  these  are  carved 
in  large  letters  the  two  following  inscriptions,  the 
one  immediately  below  the  other  in  characters 
precisely  similar  :  — 

A.N.  MDCCCXII. 
Memorable  par  la  Campagne 

Centre  les  Russes 
Sous  la  Prefecture  de  Jules  Dragon. 

Vu  et  approuve  par  nous 
Commandant  Russe  de  la  ville  de  Coblentz 
Le  ler.  Janvier  1814. 

At  Coblentz  as  well  as  at  Cologne  the  Rhine  is 
passed  by  a  flying  bridge — i.e.,  a  large  boat  moored 
to  several  other  smaller  ones,  whose  only  use  is  to 
keep  the  large  one  steady.  It  swings  from  bank 


1814]  THE   ROD   OF   NAPOLEON  187 

to  bank,  according  as  the  mooring  line  is  placed  on 
one  side  or  the  other,  merely  by  the  action  of  the 
current  producing  a  sort  of  compound  motion. 
Coblentz  is  completely  commanded  by  the  heights 
of  Ehrenbreitstein,  a  rock  as  high  as  Dover,  the 
summit  and  side  covered  with  the  ruins  of  the 
fortress  which  the  French  blew  up.  The  people 
in  this  country  are  pretty  well  satisfied  with  the 
change  of  affairs.  They  led  a  life  of  unsupport- 
able  tyranny  under  the  rod  of  Napoleon.  The 
river  was  crowded  with  custom  house  officers. 
Not  a  man  could  pass  without  being  personally 
searched  for  Coffee  and  sugar  in  every  part  of 
his  dress.  All  they  lament  now  is  the  uncertainty 
of  their  fate.  Many  expressed  a  hope  that  the 
report  of  their  being  sold  to  England  might  be 
true.  All  they  want  is  certainty,  and  then  their 
commerce  will  revive.  As  it  is,  nothing  can  be 
more  uninteresting  in  a  commercial  point  of  view 
than  this  noble  river.  We  did  not  see  above  a 
dozen  Merchants'  barks  in  the  course  of  1 20  miles, 
and  yet  they  say  trade  is  tenfold  greater  than  when 
Napoleon  governed.  Below  Coblentz  we  passed 
some  of  the  Chateaux  of  the  German  Princes, 
which  are  generally  large,  uncomfortable-looking 
houses,  fitted  up,  as  far  as  external  examination 
allowed  us  to  judge,  without  taste.  The  river 
became  rather  dull,  but  at  Andernach,  where  we 
slept,  it  began  to  improve  and  to  promise  better 
for  the  next  morning,  and  for  some  miles  we  were 
not  disappointed. 


188       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

We  were  under  the  necessity  of  travelling  on  the 
Sunday,  which  in  our  situation  I  certainly  held  to 
be  no  crime.  What  I  could  do  I  did  in  inducing 
our  Boatmen  to  attend  their  Mass.  Religion, 
which  appears  to  be  nearly  extinct  in  France,  is 
by  no  means  so  in  Germany.  We  find  the  churches 
all  well  attended  and  plentifully  scattered  over  the 
whole  country.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  we 
passed  a  large  Chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Apollonius, 
and  noted  for  its  Miracles,  all  of  which  were 
recorded  by  our  Boatmen  with  the  air  of  implicit 
reverence  and  belief.  It  happened  to  be  the  fes- 
tival of  the  Saint,  and  from  a  distance  of  10  or 
20  miles  even  the  road  was  crowded  with  persons 
going  or  coming  to  their  favourite  shrine.  You 
will  recollect  what  Mme.  de  Stae'l  says  of  the 
Germans'  taste  for  religious  music.  Of  this  we 
had  a  specimen  to-day.  As  we  passed  the  height 
upon  which  the  Chapel  stood  a  boat  containing 
40  or  50  people  put  off  from  the  shore  and  pre- 
ceded us  for  several  miles  chaunting  almost  the 
whole  way  hymns  and  psalms.  In  the  Evening, 
soon  after  leaving  Bonn,  we  came  up  with  another 
containing  about  1 20,  who  every  quarter  of  an  hour 
delighted  us  with  the  same  strains.  They  glided 
with  the  stream,  and  gave  us  time  to  row  alongside, 
and  we  continued  in  their  company  the  remainder 
of  the  day. 

Could  I  have  heard  and  not  have  seen  all  would 
have  been  perfect,  but  the  charm  was  almost  broken 
by  the  heterogeneous  mixture  of  piety  and  indif- 


1814]  VOICES   ON   THE   RHINE  189 

ference,  outward  practice  and  inward  negligence. 
Some  were  telling  their  beads  and  chattering 
Pater  Nosters,  some  were  at  one  moment  on 
their  knees,  in  the  next  quarrelling  with  their 
neighbour ;  but,  after  all,  the  general  effect  was 
so  solemn  and  imposing  that  I  was  willing  to 
spare  my  criticisms,  and  give  them  credit  for 
perhaps  more  than  they  deserved.  Conceive  such 
a  concourse  of  persons,  on  one  of  the  finest  Even- 
ings imaginable,  floating  silently  with  the  stream, 
and  then  at  a  signal  given  bursting  forth  into  songs 
of  praise  to  God — all  perfect  in  their  respective 
parts,  now  loud,  now  low,  the  softer  tones  of  the 
women  at  one  time  singing  alone.  If  the  value 
of  a  Sabbath  depends  on  the  religious  feelings 
excited,  I  may  safely  say  I  have  passed  few  so 
valuable.  They  had  no  Priest  amongst  them,  the 
hymns  were  the  spontaneous  flow  of  the  moment. 
Whenever  one  began  the  rest  were  sure  to 
follow. 

When  upon  the  subject  of  music  I  must  be  the 
advocate  of  Mme.  de  Stae'l.  She  has  been  accused 
of  falsehood  in  stating  that  in  the  Cottages  in 
Germany  a  Piano  Forte  was  a  necessary  piece  of 
furniture.  I  cannot  from  my  own  knowledge  go 
quite  so  far,  but  from  my  short  experience  of 
German  manners  I  may  safely  say  there  is  no 
nation  in  which  Music  is  so  popular.  We  have 
heard  the  notes  of  pianos  and  harpsichords  issuing 
from  holes  and  corners  where  they  might  least  be 
expected,  and  as  for  flutes  and  other  instruments, 


190        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

there  is  scarcely  a  village  in  which,  in  the  course  of 
an  hour,  you  will  not  hear  a  dozen. 

At  Cologne  we  were  lodged  at  a  French  Inn 
kept  by  the  landlord  and  his  wife  alone — no 
waiters,  no  other  attendance — and  yet  the  house 
was  spacious,  clean,  and  excellent.  I  never  met 
with  more  attention  and  wish  to  accommodate, 
and  not  only  in  the  house  ;  the  exertions  of  our 
host  were  exerted  still  further  in  our  behalf.  He 
introduced  us  to  a  Club  chiefly  composed  of 
French  Germans,  who  were  as  hospitably  inclined 
as  himself.  One  gentleman  invited  us  to  his 
house,  would  give  us  some  excellent  hock,  intro- 
duced us  to  his  family,  amongst  the  rest  a 
little  fellow  with  a  sabre  by  his  side,  with  curling 
locks  and  countenance  and  manner  interesting  as 
Owen's.  Hearing  I  was  fond  of  pictures  and 
painted  glass,  he  carried  me  to  a  fine  old 
Connoisseur,  his  father-in-law,  whose  fears  and 
temper  were  a  good  deal  roused  by  the  "  peste," 
as  he  termed  it,  of  still  having  half  a  dozen 
Cossacks  in  his  house.  However,  they  were 
officers,  and  by  his  own  account  did  him  no 
harm  whatever;  but  for  fear  of  accidents  he  had 
unpanelled  his  great  dining-room.  Our  friend  had 
a  large  and  excellent  house,  in  a  style  very  unlike 
and  far  more  magnificent  than  is  usually  met  with 
in  England.  In  return  for  his  civility  I  was 
delighted  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  give  him  a  few 
ounces  of  our  Pecco  Tea  which  remained  of  our 
original  stock.  Travelling  in  Germany  is  certainly 


1814]    THE  GLENBERVIES  AND  MR.  NORTH    191 

neither  luxurious  nor  rapid  ;  the  custom  of  hiring  a 
carriage  for  a  certain  distance  and  taking  post 
horses  does  not  extend  here,  and  you  are  therefore 
reduced  to  the  following  dilemma,  either  taking 
a  Carriage  and  the  same  horses  for  your  journey  or 
the  "  Post  Waggon,"  or,  Diligence,  which  is  of  the 
two  rather  more  rapid.  Of  two  evils  we  preferred 
the  last,  and  at  half-past  8  this  morning  were 
landed  at  Aix  la  Chapelle,  having  performed  the 
journey  of  45  miles  in  12  and  a  half  hours, 
shaken  to  death,  choked  with  dust,  and  poisoned 
with  tobacco,  for  here  a  great  hooked  pipe 
is  as  necessary  an  appendage  to  the  mouth  as  the 
tongue  itself.  Under  the  circumstances  above 
mentioned,  with  the  Thermometer  at  about  98 
into  the  bargain,  you  may,  conceive  we  were 
heartily  glad  to  run  from  the  coach  office  to  the 
Baths  as  instinctively  as  young  ducks.  On  looking 
over  the  list  of  persons  visiting  the  place,  we  were 
delighted  to  find  the  names  of  Lord  and  Lady 
Glenbervie  l  and  Mr.  North.2  Accordingly,  having 
first  ascended  the  highest  steeple  in  the  town,  and 
been  more  disgusted  than  in  any  place  I  have  seen 
since  Spain,  with  virgins  and  dolls  in  beads  and 
muslins,  and  pomatum  and  relics  of  saints'  beards, 
and  napkins  from  our  Saviour's  tomb,  and  mum- 
meries quite  disgraceful,  we  went  to  call  upon 
them.  .  .  . 

1  Lady  Catherine   North,  sister  of  Lady  Sheffield,   married 
1786,  Sylvester  Douglas,  Lord  Glenbervie. 

2  Hon.  F.  North,  fifth  Earl  of  Guilford. 


192       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

We  find  this,  like  every  other  town  and  village, 
swarming  with  Prussian  troops.  General  Kleist 
commands,  and  has  no  less  an  army  than  170,000. 
This  seems  very  like  a  determination  of  the  King 
of  Prussia  not  to  give  up  the  slice  he  has  gained  in 
the  grand  continental  scramble.  Every  uniform 
we  saw  was  of  British  manufacture.  An  officer 
told  me  we  had  furnished  sufficient  for  70,000 
Infantry  and  20,000  Cavalry. 

There  is  little  to  be  seen  in  this  place.  The 
country  about  reminded  me  most  of  England  ;  for 
the  first  time  on  the  continent  we  saw  hedges  and 
trees  of  tolerable  size  growing  amongst  them.  We 
were  directed  above  all  other  things  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  great  gambling  table.  It  is,  indeed, 
one  of  the  Lions  of  the  Town ;  the  room  is 
splendid  in  size,  and  everybody  goes  to  see  it.  It 
is  open  3  times  a  day  for  about  2  or  3  hours 
each  time.  About  50  or  60  people  were  win- 
ning or  losing  round  a  large  table  at  a  game 
apparently  something  like  vingt  un  ;  not  a  word 
was  said,  but  money  was  shovelled  to  the  right  and 
left  very  plentifully.  ...  I  forgot  to  mention  that 
near  Linz  on  the  Rhine  we  passed  a  headland 
fronted  and  inlaid  with  as  fine  a  range  of  Basaltic 
columns  as  the  Giant's  Causeway,  some  bent,  some 
leaning,  some  upright.  They  are  plentiful  through- 
out that  part  of  the  country,  and  are  remarkably 
regular  ;  all  the  stone  posts  are  formed  of  them, 
and  even  here  I  still  see  them. 


1814]  A   FRENCH   DILIGENCE  193 

LETTER  XI. 


BRUXELLES, 

After  a  night  and  greater  part  of  two  days  passed 
in  a  species  of  oven  called  a  French  Diligence, 
with  Reaumur  Thermometer  at  23  —  hotter,  you 
will  observe,  than  is  necessary  to  hatch  silkworms, 
and  very  nearly  sufficient  to  annihilate  your 
unfortunate  brother  and  husband  —  did  we  arrive 
at  Bruxelles.  ...  I  must  give  you  a  few  details 
that  you  may  fully  understand  the  extent  of  our 
misery.  We  arrived  at  Liege  all  well,  with  only 
two  other  passengers  ;  conceive  our  sorrow  when  on 
re-entering  the  Diligence  after  dinner  we  found 
besides  ourselves  and  a  lady  the  places  occupied  by 
a  Dutch  officer,  who  sat  gasping  without  his  coat, 
and  so  far  exhausted  by  the  heat,  though  he  had 
been  ten  years  in  Batavia,  that  his  pipe  hung 
dangling  as  if  he  had  not  breath  sufficient  to  keep 
its  vestal  fire  alive,  and  a  lady  with  two  children 
besides  living  intruders.  A  net  from  the  top  was 
filled  with  bags,  baskets,  and  band-boxes.  Our 
night  was  sad  indeed,  and  the  groans  of  our  fellow- 
travellers  and  the  ineffectual  fluttering  of  a  fan 
which  the  Officer  used  proved  how  little  they  were 
satisfied  with  the  order  of  things.  The  children 
were  crammed  with  a  succession  of  French  Plums, 
almonds,  garlicked  mutton,  liqueurs,  and  hock,  all  of 
which  ingredients  the  kind  mother  endeavoured  to 
cement  on  their  Stomachs  by  Basons  of  milk  at 
sunrise,  but  no  sooner  had  a  few  additional  jolts 

13 


194       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

brought  these  bons-bons  into  close  contact  than  the 
windows  were  occupied  the  rest  of  the  journey  by 
the  stretched-out  heads  of  the  poor  children. 

The  heat  has  been  more  excessive  for  the  last 
4  or  5  days  than  has  been  experienced  for  many 
years  in  this  country  ;  and,  in  short,  when  /  think  it 
worth  while  to  mention  heat  as  the  cause  of  real 
inconvenience,  you  may  consider  it  such  as  would 
have  thrown  you  into  a  fever.  Enough  of  our 
personal  sufferings,  which  you  may  easily  conceive 
have  been  few  indeed  if  the  above  is  worth 
recording.  .  .  . 

I  left  Aix  la  Chapelle  with  no  great  regret.  The 
Country  round  it  is  pretty,  much  resembling  Kent, 
but  as  a  town  or  watering-place  it  has  nothing  to 
recommend  but  its  gambling-table.  I  expected 
to  have  found  a  museum  of  human  nature  and 
national  character. — Tables  d'hdtes  crowded  with 
the  best  bred  of  all  countries,  but  just  the  reverse. 
There  were  Tables  d'h6te's  at  the  minor  Inns 
tolerably  frequented,  but  none  at  the  most  fashion- 
able ;  there  the  guests  lived  by  themselves.  There 
is  no  point  of  rendezvous,  no  promenade,  no 
Assembly  room,  where  the  concentrated  world  may 
be  seen.  Like  Swedenborgh's  theory  of  living  in 
the  midst  of  invisible  spirits,  so  at  Aix  la  Chapelle 
(unless  time  and  opportunity  may  have  thrown  him 
into  private  circles)  a  traveller  may  be  surrounded 
by  Princes  and  Potentates  without  knowing  or 
benefiting  by  their  illustrious  presence  ;  the  Glen- 
bervies  made  the  same  complaint.  From  Aix  to 


1814]  THE   BRITISH  CHARACTER  195 

Liege  we  had  the  company  of  a  very  pleasant,  well- 
informed  citizen  of  Liege  (indeed,  all  the  military 
classes  in  Germany  seem  well  informed),  who  in 
pathetic  terms  lamented  his  lot.  In  the  cutting  up 
of  this  grand  continental  dish  Prussia  has  had 
Benjamin's  mess  in  this  part  of  the  country.  We 
have  his  troops,  with  few  exceptions,  forming  a 
cordon  within  the  Rhine  from  Saarbruck  to  Liege, 
and  they  are  by  no  means  popular.  We  have 
clothed  them,  and  all  the  people  feed  them,  besides 
having  been  called  upon  for  contributions.  It  is 
flattering  to  see  the  high  respect  shown  to  the 
British  character,  which  increases  as  opportunities 
occur  of  observing  its  effects.  If  we  were  like  the 
people  of  Bruxelles  (said  our  Liegeois)  all  would  be 
well ;  we  should  rejoice  in  having  a  garrison. 
British  troops,  so  far  from  exacting  contributions  or 
demanding  free  quarters,  pay  for  everything,  are 
beloved  by  the  people,  and  money  circulates, 
whereas  under  the  Prussian  government  we  pay 
all,  are  put  to  all  manner  of  inconvenience,  and 
receive  neither  thanks  nor  satisfaction.  They 
appear  to  have  been  peculiarly  unfortunate  in  all 
wars.  Poor  Liege  has  received  a  thump  from  one, 
a  kick  from  another,  and  been  robbed  by  a  third. 
The  Austrians  have  burnt  their  Suburbs,  the 
Republicans  sold  their  national  and  ecclesiastical 
Estates,  and  lately  they  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
being  pillaged  by  French  Marshals  and  satisfying 
the  voracious  appetite  of  the  Crown  Prince,  who 
put  them  to  an  expense  of  150,000  frs.  in  providing 


196       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

his  table  for  7  weeks,  and  when  they  hinted  that 
they  thought  it  but  fair  their  Royal  visitor  should 
pay  for  his  own  dinners,  he  departed,  leaving  his 
bills  unpaid.  He  seems  to  have  been  secreting 
himself  here  like  a  Cat  in  a  barn  watching  the 
motions  of  the  mice,  acting  solely  from  interested 
motives,  and  ready  to  pounce  upon  whatever  might 
be  safely  turned  to  his  own  advantage.  When  the 
French  retreated  out  of  Holland  the  Duke  of 
Tarentum  x  did  the  poor  people  at  Liege  the 
honour  of  making  their  town  a  point  in  the  line  of 
his  march.  He  stopped  one  night,  and  because  the 
inhabitants  did  not  illuminate  and  express  great 
joy  at  his  illustrious  presence  he  demanded  an 
immediate  contribution  of  300,000  frs.,  150,000  of 
which  were  paid  the  next  morning.  Luckily  the 
Allies  appeared  towards  Noon,  and  I  hope  his  Grace 
will  not  get  the  remainder. 

In  the  character  of  almost  all  these  French 
military  leaders  there  are  such  blots  and  stains  that 
one  sickens  at  the  thought  of  being  of  the  same 
species.  It  would  be  endless  to  recount  the  acts  of 
rapacity  committed  by  all  these  engines  of  Imperial 
France  ;  conscious  that  their  throne  might  one  day 
fall,  they  lost  no  time  in  amassing  wealth,  and 
pillage  was  the  watchword  from  the  Cathedral  to 
the  Cottage.  Lisle  is  in  the  hands  of  the  French, 
and  by  their  own  account  the  people  have  suffered 
every  species  of  misery,  yet  they  are  strong  for 
Napoleon,  Garrison  and  Citizen,  and  I  cannot  find 
1  Marshal  Macdonald,  1765-1840. 


1814]  SOLDIERS  IN  PETTICOATS  197 

that  they  ever  vented  their  feelings  in  any  other 
way  than  in  nicknaming  their  General  Maison  l 
(a  cruel  Tyrant  who  destroyed  all  their  suburbs 
under  pretence  they  might  be  in  the  way  in  case 
of  a  siege,  which  might  have  been  done  in  a  day 
had  the  Allies  ever  thought  of  such  a  thing)  ;  he  is 
in  consequence  called  General  Brise  Maison,  and 
then  the  foolish  people  laugh  and  cry,  "  Oue  c'est 
bon  cela,"  think  they  have  done  a  great  feat  and 
submit  like  lambs.  The  country  from  Liege  to 
Brussels  wears  the  same  Anglicised  face — hedge- 
rows and  trees  without  any  leading  features. 
Bruxelles  is  a  nice  town — and  really  it  was  a  grati- 
fication in  passing  the  gate  to  see  a  fat  John  Bull 
keeping  guard  with  his  red  coat.  The  Garrison 
consists  of  about  3,000,  amongst  the  rest  a  regiment 
of  Highlanders  whose  dress  is  the  marvel  of  the 
people.  A  French  Lady  who  came  with  us  from 
Liege  had  seen  some  and  expressed  her  utter 
surprise,  and  as  if  she  was  speaking  to  one  who 
doubted  the  fact,  she  repeated,  "C'est  vrai!  actuelle- 
ment  rien  qu'un  petit  Jupon — mais  comment!  "  and 
then  she  lifted  her  eyes  and  hands  and  reiterated, 
"  petit  j upon — et  comment,"  concluding,  as  if  she 
almost  doubted  the  evidence  of  her  own  senses, 
"  Je  les  ai  vus  moi-meme." 

At  Bruxelles  at  least  we  expected  to  see  a 
numerous  and  genteel  Table  d'hote,  and  in  this 
hope  took  up  our  quarters  at  a  magnificent  Hotel 

1  General  Maison,  1771-1840,  one  of  the  most  faithful  of 
Napoleon's  generals. 


198        BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

in  the  Place  Royale — very  fine  indeed,  and  very  full 
of  English,  much  too  full,  for  though  we  saw  a  few 
in  the  passages,  or  eyed  them  as  they  peeped  out 
of  their  doors,  and  sat  down  with  about  1 5  or  20  at 
table,  "  They  spoke  not,  they  moved  not,  they 
looked  not  around."  By  dint  of  asking  for  salt  and 
mustard,  and  giving  my  next  neighbour  as  much 
trouble  as  I  could  to  show  I  had  a  tongue  which 
I  should  be  happy  to  use,  we  towards  the  3rd  Act 
of  the  Entertainment  began  to  talk,  and  ascended 
gradually  from  the  meats  to  the  wines  (here,  it  is 
true,  there  was  some  prolixity),  and  then  to  other 
subjects  pretty  well,  though  the  burthen  of  my 
companion's  song  was  that  "  the  French  were  all 

d d  rascals  and  ought  to  be  well  licked."     We 

tried  the  Play ;  there  we  found  a  few  English 
officers  and  one  English  lady,  few  of  any  other 
nation,  not  50  altogether,  in  a  house  dismal  and 
dirty.  There  is  a  delightful  sort  of  wood  and 
promenade  called  the  Park.  .  .  . 


CHAPTER   V 
THE   LOW   COUNTRIES 

Dutch  arks — Walcheren  memories — Earth  -  covered  ships — 
Cossacks  and  keys — Brother  alleys — Bergen  op  Zoom — 
Cossack  shopping — Goat  curricles — Treckschuit  travelling — 
Booksellers'  shops 

AFTER  Brussels  the  travellers  proceeded  to 
Holland,  and  saw  Antwerp  on  their  way. 
They  had  now  gone  beyond  the  country  which 
Napoleon's  victories  had  made  famous,  and  the 
chief  military  interest  of  the  country  through  which 
they  passed,  just  eleven  months  before  Waterloo, 
was  derived  from  two  very  melancholy  events  for 
an  Englishman  to  record — the  Walcheren  Expedi- 
tion and  the  storming  of  Bergen  op  Zoom. 

LETTER  XII 

BERGEN  OP  ZOOM,  July  $\st. 

.  .  .  On  leaving  Bruxelles  the  country  immedi- 
ately loses  its  character,  and  becomes  entirely 
Dutch,  by  which  we  exchange  for  the  better, 
leaving  dirty  floors,  houses,  and  coaches  for  as 


199 


200        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

much  cleanliness  as  soap  and  water  can  produce  ; 
I  only  regret  from  my  experience  of  last  night  that 
they  should  be  so  much  occupied  in  washing  as  to 
forget  that  drying  is  also  a  luxury,  but  there  is 
no  such  novelty  in  this  country,  and  so  much 
to  be  seen  that  I  have  no  time  to  catch  cold.  Our 
Diligence  from  Bruxelles  held  10  people  inside  and 
3  in  front,  and  we  had  all  ample  elbow  room  ;  it 
was  large,  as  you  may  suppose,  as  everything  else 
in  Holland  is  from  top  to  bottom.  Hats,  Coats, 
breeches,  pipes,  horns,  cows — are  all  gigantic,  and 
so  are  the  dogs,  and  because  the  poor  things  happen 
to  be  so,  they  harness  a  parcel  of  them  together 
and  breed  them  up  to  draw  fish-carts.  1  yesterday 
met  a  man  driving  four-in-hand ;  in  turning  a 
corner  and  meeting  three  of  these  open-mouthed 
Mastiffs  panting  and  pulling,  you  might  almost 
fancy  it  was  Cerberus  drawing  the  Chariot  of  Pro- 
serpine— but  I  am  wandering  from  the  Diligence, 
which  deserves  some  description.  It  resembled  a 
little  Theatre  more  than  a  coach,  with  front  boxes, 
pit,  &c.,  lined  with  common  velvet.  We  had  a 
curious  collection  of  passengers.  Opposite  to  me 
sat  a  prize  thoroughbred  Dutch  woman  as  clean 
and  tidy  as  she  was  ugly  and  phlegmatic,  with  a 
close-plaited  cap,  unruffled  white  shawl,  and  golden 
cross  suspended  from  her  neck.  I  took  a  sketch 
while  she  stared  me  in  the  face  unconscious  of  the 
honor  conferred.  By  her  side  sat  a  French  woman 
crowned  with  the  lofty  towers  of  an  Oldenburg- 
Bonnet.  By  my  side  a  spruce,  pretty,  English- 


1814]    GALLERY  OF  THE  FLEMISH  SCHOOL    201 

woman,  whom   I  somehow  or  other  suspected  had 
been  serving  with  his   Britannic  Majesty's    troops 
now  occupying    Belgium.     She  had  on  her   right 
hand  a  huge   Brabanter  who  spoke   English,   and 
had  acquired,   I   have    no  doubt,  a  few  additional 
pounds  of  fat  by  living  in    London.      Edward  sat 
behind  me  in  a  line  with  the  Brabanter's  wife  and 
a  Dutch  peasant.     These,  with  two  or  three  minor 
characters,  completed  our  cargo,  and  away  we  went 
on  the  finest  road  in  the  world   towards  Antwerp 
between  a  triple  row  of  Abeles  and  poplars,  and 
skirting  the  bank  of  a  fine  canal  upon  which  floated 
a    fleet    of    Kuyp's   barks,   and    by  which   grazed 
Paul  Potter's  oxen — the  whole  road  was,  in  truth,  a 
gallery    of  the   Flemish    school.     By    the   door  of 
every  ale-house  a  living  group  from  Teniers  and 
Ostade,   with    here   and  there  bits  from   Berghem 
and   Hobbema,    &c.     Halfway   between    Bruxelles 
and  Antwerp  is  Malines.      I  had  began  to  fear  that 
I    had    lost    my   powers  of  observation,   and    was, 
therefore,  no  longer  struck  with  the  external  appear- 
ance of  the  towns — in  fact,  that  the    novelty  was 
gone,  and  that  my  eyes  were  too  much  familiarised 
with  such  objects  to  notice  them.     Happily  Malines 
undeceived  me,  and  convinced  me  I  was  still  fully 
alive    to    whatever    had    any    real    peculiarity    of 
character  to  entitle  it  to  notice.     With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  villages  on  the  Rhine,  all  the  towns  and 
houses  I  had  seen  lately  had  little  to  recommend 
them,  and  were  like  half  the  people  in  the  world, 
possessed  of  no  character  of  their  own,  their  doors 


and  windows  like  all  other  doors  and  windows,  but 
Malines  had  doors  and  windows  of  its  own,  and 
seemed  to  take  a  pride  in  exhibiting  its  own  little 
queer  originalities ;  in  every  house  was  a  different 
idea.  The  people  were  of  a  piece  with  their  dwell- 
ings ;  I  could  almost  fancy  I  was  permitted  to 
inspect  the  toys  of  some  Brobdignag  baby  who 
washed,  cleaned,  and  combed  the  beings  before  me 
every  morning  and  locked  them  up  in  their  separate 
boxes  every  evening.  When  the  nice  green  doors 
of  the  nice  painted  houses  opened,  I  bethought  me 
of  the  Dutch  ark  you  bought  for  Owen,  and  was 
prepared  to  make  my  best  bow  to  Noah  and  his 
wife,  who  I  expected  to  step  forth  with  Ham  and 
Japhet,  and  all  the  birds  and  beasts  behind  them. 

We  approached  Antwerp  as  the  sun  was  setting 
behind  its  beautiful  Cathedral  and  shining  upon  the 
pennants  of  the  fleet  which  Bonaparte  has  kindly 
built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  allied  powers. 
The  Antwerpers  had  a  well-arranged  promenade 
and  tea  garden,  &c.,  about  a  mile  from  the  house, 
well  wooded.  These,  with  all  the  houses  in  the 
suburbs,  the  French  entirely  destroyed,  leaving  not 
a  wreck  behind.  I  must  acquit  them  of  wanton 
cruelty  here,  however,  as  in  sieges  these  devasta- 
tions are  necessary.  We  passed  thro'  a  complete 
course  of  fortifications,  and  then  entered  what,  from 
all  I  can  perceive,  is  the  best  town  I  have  seen  on 
the  continent. 

It  is  a  mass  of  fine  streets,  fine  houses,  and  fine 
churches  ;  the  Tower  of  the  Cathedral  is  quite  a 


1814]  WALCHEREN  MEMORIES  203 

Bijou  620  steps  in  height !  but  the  ascent  was  well 
rewarded  ;  from  thence  a  very  respectable  tour  of 
about  30  miles  in  every  direction  may  be  accom- 
plished. Walcheren  and  Lillo  (the  celebrated  fort 
which  prevented  our  ascending  the  Scheld)  were 
visible  without  any  difficulty,  with  Cadsand  and  all 
the  well-known  names  of  that  silly  expedition,1 
rendered  apparently  more  silly  by  seeing  how 
impossible  it  would  have  been  to  have  taken 
Antwerp  unless  by  a  regular  siege,  which  might 
have  been  of  endless  duration ;  we  might  have 
bombarded  the  basons  in  which  the  men-of-war 
were  deposited,  and  with  about  as  much  success  as 
Sir  Thos.  Graham,2  who,  after  expending  a  mint 
of  money  in  bombs  and  powders,  in  the  course  of 
two  days  contrived  to  send  about  half  a  dozen 
shells  on  board  the  line  of  battleships.  I  was  on 
board  the  Albania,  which  had  suffered  the  most. 
The  extent  of  her  damage  was  two  shells  which 
passed  thro'  the  decks,  exploding  without  much 
mischief,  and  a  round-shot  which  shivered  a  quarter 
gallery  and  then  fell  on  the  ice — indeed,  bombard- 
ing vessels,  which  are  objects  so  comparatively 
small,  is  something  like  attempting  to  shoot  wild 
ducks  on  Radnor  Mere  by  firing  over  their  heads 
with  ball  in  hopes  that  in  its  descent  it  may  come 
in  contact  with  the  bird's  head. 

1  This  disastrous  expedition  to  attack  Antwerp  sailed  under 
the  Earl  of  Chatham,  July  20,  1809,  and  ended  in  total  failure 
The  troops  were  withdrawn  in  December,  1809. 

2  Sir  Thomas  Graham,  1748-1843,  afterwards  Lord  Lynedoch. 


204        BEFORE)   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

About  a  dozen  Gun  Brigs  were  sunk,  all  of  which 
we  saw  with  their  masts  above  the  water  ;  a  few 
houses  near  the  Bason  were  shattered,  and  about 
20  Townsmen  killed.  The  country  round  Antwerp 
is  quite  flat,  and  appears,  with  the  exception  of  2 
or  3  miles  round  the  town,  a  perfect  wood ;  fancy 
such  a  wood  with  the  Scheldt  winding  through  it, 
several  roads  radiating  in  lines  straight  as  arrows, 
with  here  and  there  a  steeple  breaking  the  hori- 
zontal line,  and  you  may  suppose  yourself  at  the 
top  of  the  Cathedral.  The  Town  is  large,  with 
the  river  washing  the  whole  of  one  side  ;  on  the 
south  are  the  dockyards,  with  rope  walks  and 
everything  in  fine  style ;  the  destruction  of  these 
might  have  been  practicable,  as  they  are  rather 
beyond  the  line  of  immediate  fortifications,  but 
probably  they  have  works  for  their  express  pro- 
tection, and  the  advantage  gained  must  have  been 
in  proportion  to  the  stores  and  vessels  building.  I 
counted  16  or  17  ships  of  the  line  on  the  Stocks 
2  or  3  of  120  Guns.  In  the  Scheldt  floated  13 
in  a  state  of  apparent  equipment ;  in  the  basons 
9 — all  of  the  line — thus  completing  a  fleet  of 
39  fine  Ships,  besides  a  few  frigates  and  Gun 
Brigs  innumerable — of  these  only  two  were 
Dutch. 

It  was  curious  to  see  such  a  fleet,  and  some  of 
them  were  actually  worn  out,  the  utmost  extent 
of  whose  naval  career  had  been  an  expedition  to 
Flushing.  On  descending  the  Spire,  we  examined 
the  Carillons,  which  are  a  Gamut  of  chiming  bells 


1814]  ALKMAAR  CHURCH  BELLS  205 

of  all  sizes — the  total  number  for  them  and  the 
Church  is  82  ;  by  a  clock  work  they  play  every 
7  minutes,  so  that  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Cathedral  is  a  scene  of  perpetual  harmony ;  they 
can  also  be  played  by  hand.  Most  of  the  churches 
in  this  country  have  them.  Our  Guards  in  march- 
ing into  Alkmaar  were  surprised  and  gratified  in 
hearing  the  church  bells  strike  up  "God  Save  the 
King."  There  are  several  good  churches  in  the 
town,  and  once  all  were  decorated  with  the  works 
of  Rubens,  which  Napoleon  carried  off.  I  should, 
however,  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  a  selection  from 
the  remainder.  I  saw  a  Vandyck  on  the  subject  of 
our  Saviour  recommending  the  Virgin  Mary  to  St. 
John,  which  was  incomparable  ;  it  quite  haunts  me 
at  this  moment,  and,  however  horrible  the  effect  of 
the  bleeding  figure  on  the  Cross,  I  do  not  wish  to 
lose  the  impression.  The  Dutch  have  carried  the 
art  of  carving  in  wood  to  a  most  extraordinary 
pitch  of  perfection.  I  am  surprised  it  has  not  been 
more  spoken  of ;  some  of  their  pulpits  are  really 
quite  marvellous.  Religion  increases  and,  I  think, 
improves.  There  is  less  mummery  here  than  at 
Aix  and  some  other  places  I  have  lately  seen,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  little  Saviours  in  powdered 
wigs  and  gilt  satin  and  muslin  frocks,  and  a  very  • 
singular  figure  as  large  as  life,  supposed  to  repre- 
sent the  deposition  in  the  holy  sepulchre,  which 
was  covered  by  a  shroud  of  worsted  gauze,  studded 
over  with  enormous  artificial  flowers  and  tinsel  like 
a  Lady's  court  dress. 


206        BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Wherever  we  went,  at  whatever  hour,  Mass  was 
performing"  to  good  congregations.  The  women 
here  all  dress  in  long  black  shawls,  or,  rather, 
hooded  wrappers,  which,  as  they  knelt  before  their 
confessional  boxes,  were  extremely  appropriate  and 
solemn.  The  English  have  a  church  here  for  the 
garrison  ;  it  is  simplicity  itself.  They  have  even 
removed  several  fine  pictures,  the  rooms  having 
been  a  sort  of  museum — the  Vandyck  I  alluded  to 
among  the  rest.  .  .  . 

In  our  morning's  tour  we,  of  course,  visited  the 
celebrated  basons  for  the  men-of-war.  "  Still  harp- 
ing upon  these  ships,"  I  can  fancy  you  exclaiming  ; 
"  when  will  he  have  done  with  them  ?  "  You  must 
bear  it  patiently.  It  was  on  account  of  these  said 
basons,  in  a  great  measure,  that  I  came  to  Antwerp, 
so  you  must  endure  their  birth,  parentage,  and 
education. 

There  are  two  Basons,  one  calculated  for  16,  the 
other  for  30  sail  of  the  line  ;  they  are  simple  excava- 
tions. Nature  never  thought  of  such  a  thing,  and 
gave  no  helping  hand.  It  was  Napoleon's  work 
from  first  to  last ;  the  labour  and  expense  must 
have  been  enormous.  They  open  by  dock  gates 
immediately  into  the  Scheldt,  from  whence  each 
ship  can  proceed  armed  and  fitted  cap  a  pie  (if 
she  dares)  to  fight  the  English.  They  were  begun 
and  finished  in  two  years,  but  improvements  were 
suggested,  and  there  is  no  knowing  what  more  the 
Emperor  intended  to  do.  Precautions  had  been 
taken  during  the  bombardment  to  preserve  the 


1814]  EARTH-COVERED   SHIPS  207 

Ships.     For  instance,  all  the  decks  were  propped 
up  by  a  number  of  spars,  by  which  means  if   a 
bomb  fell  it  did  no  other  mischief  than  forcing  its 
way  through  and  carrying  all  before  its  immediate 
course,   whereas  without  the  props  it  might  have 
shaken  the  timbers  and  weakened  the  access  con- 
siderably.    In  every  ship  also  were  2  cartloads  of 
earth,  to    throw   over   any  inflammable    substance 
which   might   have    fallen    on   board.       From   this 
mole  hill  of  a  truth  was  engendered  a  mountainous 
falsehood  for  home  consumption.      I   read  in  the 
English  Papers  of  the  time  that  the  French  had 
scuttled  their  ships  to  the  level  of  the  water,  and 
then    covered    them    over   with   earth,    which   was 
carefully  sodded  ! !     Sir  Thos.  Graham's  batteries 
were  very  near  the  basons,  half-way  between  the 
village  of  Muxham,  about  2  miles  from  the  town 
and  the  nearest  French  battery.     From  one  of  the 
latter  we  had  a  perfect  conception  of  the  whole 
business.     Without  saying  a  word  about  my  ex- 
treme partiality  and  fears  for  the  safety  of  No.  i, 
and    probable    inconvenience   which    might   ensue 
from   loss  of  said   No.    i    to  Nos.   2,   3  and  4,    I 
wonder   much   whether   my   curiosity  would   have 
allowed    me   to   sleep   quite  in   the   back   ground. 
The  sight  must  from  this  point  have  been  superb, 
as  it  was  the  intention  to  throw  the  bombs  over 
this  battery  so  as  to  make  them  fall  in  the  bason 
amongst   the   ducks.     The   top   of    the    Cathedral 
would    have    been    perfection,    but   the    Governor 
most  vexatiously  kept  the  keys.  .  .  . 


208       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

We  found  abundance  of  British  troops  here, 
remnants  of  all  the  regiments  who  had  survived 
the  storming  of  Bergen  op  Zoom,  about  3  or 
4,000.  .  .  .  They  have  no  reason  to  complain  of 
their  quarters,  though  it  is  possible  many  of  them 
may  be  of  the  same  opinion  with  a  soldier  of  the 
Guards,  who,  in  reply  to  my  question  of  "  How  do 
you  like  Antwerp  ?  "  said  with  great  earnestness, 
"  I  like  St.  James's  Park  a  great  deal  better."  I 
observed  several  ladies  with  their  "petits  chapeaux," 
and  I  must  do  them  the  justice  to  say  they  are  much 
handsomer  than  the  French,  German,  or  Dutch. 
.  .  .  English  Curricles,  coaches,  and  Chariots  are 
to  be  seen,  and  some  few  English  horses,  which 
are  certainly  better  calculated  for  speed  and 
pleasant  driving  than  the  heavy  breed  of  this 
country.  Flanders  Mares — as  Henry  VIII.  tells 
us  by  comparing  his  queen  to  one — have  never 
been  remarkable  for  elegance  and  activity,  and  I  was 
much  entertained  in  seeing  an  Englishman  break 
in  a  couple  of  these  for  a  Tandem. 

...  At  our  Table  d'hote,  where  we  met  nothing 
but  English  merchants,  I  heard  the  report  of  the 
day  that  Belgium  was  to  be  a  sort  of  independent 
state,  under  the  Prince  of  Orange's  government, 
according  to  its  old  laws  and  customs,  and  that  he 
was  to  hold  a  court  at  Bruxelles.  .  .  .  The  Prince 
of  Orange  is  now  in  fact  gone  to  make  his  public 
entrance  into  Bruxelles.  .  .  . 

There  is  a  custom  that  the  key  of  the  town 
should  be  presented  to  the  possessor  or  Governor 


1814]          RICHES   OF  THE   COSSACKS  209 

of  the  Town  on  a  magnificent  silver-gilt  plate. 
When  the  Cossack  chief  came,  as  usual,  the  key 
was  offered,  which  he  good,  simple  man  quietly 
took,  put  into  his  pocket,  and  forgot  to  return. 
When  I  saw  the  dish,  the  man  told  me  this 
anecdote,  and  lamented  wofully  the  loss  of  his 
key,  which  may  possibly  in  future  turn  the  lock 
of  some  dirty  cupboard  or  other  on  the  banks  of 
the  Don.  It  seems  these  Cossacks  were  immensely 
rich.  Latterly  I  have  been  assured  they  could  not 
fight  had  they  been  inclined,  from  the  excessive 
height  of  their  saddles  and  weight  of  their  clothes  ; 
on  the  one  they  could  scarcely  sit,  and  with  the 
others  they  could  scarcely  walk.  They  had 
always  3  or  4  Coats  or  coverings,  and  in  the 
folds  of  these  were  unkennelled  1,330  Napoleons 
on  one  of  them  who  happened  to  die  at 
Bruxelles. 

We  quitted  Antwerp  after  dinner  yesterday  for 
Bergen  op  Zoom  by  a  new  sort  of  conveyance  ;  by 
way  of  variety  we  "  voitured "  it,  viz.,  hired  a 
carriage,  driver,  and  horses  for  Breda  on  our  way 
to  Amsterdam.  It  was  a  nice  sort  of  Gig  Phaeton, 
with  comfortable  seats  for  4,  the  Driver  on  the 
front  bench.  I  fear  I  must  retract  what  I  said 
in  the  beginning  of  this  letter,  as  to  the  decided 
change  in  houses  and  people  here.  It  was  most 
conspicuous  about  Malines,  but  on  this  road 
there  was  nothing  remarkable  one  way  or  the 
other. 

Our  road  was,  however,  Dutch  throughout.  Upon 

14 


210        BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

a  sort  of  raised  dyke,  between  a  monotonous  avenue 
of  stunted  willows,  did  we  jog  gently  on,  with 
nothing  to  relieve  the  eye  but  here  and  there  a 
windmill  or  a  farm.  On  our  left  we  saw,  as  far  as 
eye  could  reach,  the  Swamp  (or  I  scarcely  know 
what  to  call  it),  which  fills  up  the  spaces  between 
the  Main  and  South  Beveland,  and  it  almost  gave 
me  the  Walcheren  fever  to  look  at  it.  The  Even- 
ing Gun  of  Flushing  saluted  the  Sun  as  he  sank  to 
rest  behind  these  muddy  isles,  and  we  begun  to 
fear,  as  night  drew  on,  that  we  should  have  to  take 
up  our  night's  lodging  in  the  Gig,  for  though  he 
knew  that  the  gates  of  the  Fortress  were  closed  at 
9,  our  sturdy  Dutchman  moved  not  a  peg  the  faster. 
However,  we  escaped  the  evil,  and  10  minutes  before 
9  we  passed  the  drawbridge  of  the  ditch  leading  to 
the  Antwerp  gate,  which  had  been  the  grave  of  the 
ist  Column  of  Guards,  led  by  General  Cooke,  on 
the  8th  March.  .  .  . 

NOTE. 

Storming  of  Bergen  op  Zoom,  March  8,  1814. — Sir  Thomas 
Graham  had  landed  6,000  men  on  October  7,  1813,  in  S.  Beve- 
land, in  order  to  combine  with  the  Prussians  to  drive  the  French 
from  Holland. 

On  March  8,  1814,  he  led  4,000  British  troops  against  Bergen 
op  Zoom.  They  were  formed  into  four  columns,  of  which  two 
were  to  attack  the  fortifications  at  different  points ;  the  third  to 
make  a  false  attack;  the  fourth  to  attack  the  entrance  of  the 
harbour,  which  is  fordable  at  low  water. 

The  first,  led  by  Major-General  Cooke,  incurred  some  delay  in 
passing  the  ditch  on  the  ice.  but  at  length  established  itself  on  the 
rampart. 


1814]  BROTHER  ALLEYS  2ll 

The  right  column,  under  Major-General  Skerret  and  Brigadier- 
General  Gore,  had  forced  their  way  into  the  body  of  the  place,  but 
the  fall  of  General  Gore  and  the  dangerous  wounds  of  Skerret 
caused  the  column  to  fall  into  disorder  and  surfer  great  loss  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  The  centre  column  was  driven 
back  by  the  heavy  fire  of  the  place,  but  re-formed  and  marched 
round  to  join  General  Cooke.  At  daybreak  the  enemy  turned  the 
guns  of  the  place  on  the  unprotected  rampart  and  much  loss  and 
confusion  ensued.  General  Cooke,  despairing  of  success,  directed 
the  retreat  of  the  Guards,  and,  finding  it  impossible  to  withdraw 
his  weak  battalions,  he  saved  the  lives  of  his  remaining  men  by 
surrender. 

The  Governor  of  Bergen  op  Zoom  agreed  to  a  suspension  ox 
hostilities  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  The  killed  were  com- 
puted at  300,  prisoners,  1,800. — ED. 


LETTER  XIII. 

HAGUE,  August  4,  1814. 

Sterne  pities  the  man  who  could  go  from  Dan  to 
Beersheba  and  say  that  all  was  barren,  and  I  must 
pity  the  man  who  travels  from  Bergen  op  Zoom  to 
Amsterdam  and  says  that  Holland,  with  all  its  flat- 
ness, is  not  worth  visiting. 

"  Oh  Willow,  Willow,  Willow,  here 
Each  stands  bowing  to  another, 
And  every  Alley  finds  its  brother." 

Nature  never  abhorred  a  vacuum  more  than  she 
herself  is  abhorred  by  these  Dutchmen  ;  here  rivers 
run  above  their  levels  and  cattle  feed  where  fishes 
were  by  nature  intended  to  swim.  Hogarth's  line 
of  beauty  is  unknown  in  Holland.  No  line  can 
be  either  beautiful  or  palatable  except  that  which 


212        BEFORE    AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

(defined  mathematically)  is  the  shortest  that  can  be 
drawn  between  two  given  points.  But  I  have  yet  a 
great  deal  to  say  before  I  come  to  these  roads.  I 
left  you  at  Bergen  op  Zoom,  just  arrived.  On  Sun- 
day morning,  after  a  little  enquiry,  we  were  glad  to 
find  there  was  a  Protestant  French  Church  in  the 
town,  and  thither  we  went.  I  cannot  say  much  for 
the  sermon  ;  it  was  on  i  Cor.  vii.  20,  in  which  a 
great  deal  of  French  display  of  vehemence  and  action 
made  up  in  some  degree  for  a  feeble  prolixity  of 
words  ;  in  one  part,  however,  he  made  an  appeal, 
which  has  at  least  had  the  effect  of  eloquence  and 
certainly  came  home  to  the  heart.  He  described 
the  miseries  the  country  had  so  long  endured  and 
the  happy  change  which  had  now  taken  place.  But 
while  he  blest  the  change  he  lamented  the  tears 
which  must  be  shed  from  the  fatal  effects  of  the  war 
which  produced  it ;  and  then  turning  to  us,  whom  he 
perceived  to  be  Englishmen,  he  proceeded  :  "  It  is 
for  us  to  lament  the  sad  disaster  which  this  town 
was  doomed  to  witness  in  the  loss  of  our  friends 
(our  Compatriots,  I  may  say),  who  shed  their  blood 
for  the  restoration  of  our  liberties."  After  church  I 
went  into  the  vestry  to  tell  him  who  and  what  I  was. 
As  an  Englishman  he  shook  me  by  the  hand,  and 
when  he  understood  I  was  a  Protestant  minister  he 
shook  it  again.  Had  he  asked  me  to  dine  I  should 
have  accepted  his  invitation,  but  unluckily  he  lost 
my  company  by  paying  what  he  conceived  to  be  a 
greater  compliment.  Like  an  Indian  warrior,  he 
offered  the  calumet  of  peace  and  begged  I  would  go 


1814]          AN  EYEWITNESS'  ACCOUNT  213 

home  and  smoke  with  him.  Now,  I  would  have  gone 
through  a  good  deal  to  have  had  some  conversation 
with  him,  but  really  on  one  of  the  hottest  days  of 
July,  when  I  was  anxious,  moreover,  to  inspect  the 
fortification,  smoking  would  not  do,  and  taking  our 
leave  he  sent  his  schoolmaster,  an  intelligent  man 
who  had  a  brother  a  Captain  in  one  of  our  assaulting 
regiments,  to  be  our  guide  and  tell  the  melancholy 
tale.  .  .  .  And  now  let  me  see  if  I  can  make  that 
clear  to  you  which  has  never  been  made  clear  to  any- 
body yet.  "At  10  o'clock,"  said  our  guide,  "I  was 
at  supper  with  a  little  party,  some  French  officers 
being  present ;  about  half  after  10  some  musket 
shots  were  heard ;  this  was  no  uncommon  sound 
and  we  took  no  notice ;  however,  it  rather  increased, 
and  the  French  sent  a  sergeant  to  know  the  cause, 
and  remained  chatting  quietly.  In  about  ten  minutes 
in  burst  the  sergeant,  '  Vite,  vite,  a  vos  portes !  Les 
Anglais  sont  dans  la  ville.'"  I  need  not  add  the  party 
broke  up  in  a  hurry ;  our  Guide  sallied  forth  with  the 
rest,  and  went  on  the  Ramparts  for  curiosity,  but 
whilst  he  was  gratifying  this  passion,  on  a  pitch 
dark  night,  down  drops  a  man  who  stood  near  him, 
and  whiz  flew  some  bullets,  upon  which  he  took  to 
his  heels,  got  home,  and  saw  no  more  ;  indeed,  had 
he  been  inclined  it  would  have  been  impossible,  for 
Patrols  paraded  the  streets  and  shot  every  one 
who  was  not  a  French  soldier.  Thus  far  our  school- 
master was  an  eye-witness  ;  for  the  remainder  you 
must  trust  to  my  account  from  as  minute  an  enquiry 
as  I  could  make  upon  the  spot  with  Sir  T.  Graham's 


214        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

dispatches  in  my  hand,  which  threw  very  little  light 
upon  the  subject. 

BERGEN  OP  ZOOM  . 
E 


G 


A.  The  Steenbergen  Gate. 

B.  Breda  Gate. 

C.  Antwerp  Gate. 

D.  Water  Gate. 

E.  Picket  of  veteran  French 

Soldiers. 


F.  River  or  creek  running  into 

the  town. 

G.  Side   from  whence  the  Eng- 

lish approach. 
H.  Bastion  near  Breda  Gate. 


Under  the  guidance  of  some  inhabitants  who  had 
fled  to  the  English,  soon  after  10  o'clock,  March  8th, 
the  ground  covered  with  snow  and  ice,  our  troops 
marched  in  silence  to  their  respective  posts.  The 
Guards,  led  by  General  Cooke,  were  to  go  round 
towards  B  and  C,  at  A  a  false  attack  was  to  be 
made  ;  another  column  was  to  force  open  the  gates 


1814]    STORMING   OF   BERGEN   OP  ZOOM       215 

at  B,  and  the  4th  column,  led  by  Generals  Skerret 
and  Gore,  proceeded  by  the  dotted  line,  crossed 
the  river  up  to  their  middle,  and  skirting  round 
between  the  works  were  the  first  to  enter  the 
town  behind  some  houses  which  fronted  the 
Quay.  Hitherto  all  went  on  well,  and  the  object 
of  all  the  Columns  was  to  concentrate  at  G,  but  no 
sooner  had  the  4th  Column  gained  its  point  (from 
what  cause  nobody  knows,  for  I  cannot  conceive 
that  the  immediate  loss  of  its  two  Generals  was  the 
sole  cause)  than  all  subordination  seems  to  have 
been  at  an  end,  and  the  men,  instead  of  going  on, 
occupied  themselves  with  revelling  and  drinking 
and  getting  warm  in  the  houses  by  the  Quay,  and 
though  many  prisoners  were  taken,  they  were  im- 
prudently left  unguarded  with  arms  in  their  hands, 
which  they  very  soon  turned  against  their  captors 
with  fatal  success.  The  doors  and  windows  in  this 
part  of  the  town  bore  evidence  of  the  business 
which  for  a  short  time  was  carried  on.  The 
Guards  gained  their  point,  and  so  did  the  Column 
at  B  in  part,  for  the  French  were  killed  in  great 
numbers  on  Bastion  H,  in  fact,  eleven  Bastions 
were  taken,  and  all  before  midnight ;  but  from 
this  period  till  7  in  the  morning,  when  the  affair 
closed,  I  can  give  you  no  clear  account.  Nobody 
seemed  to  know  what  was  doing,  all  appears  to 
have  been  confusion — not  a  gun  was  spiked,  none 
were  turned  towards  the  Town.  In  the  meantime 
the  French  were  no  inactive  observers  of  what  was 
passing  ;  they  came  forward  most  manfully,  fighting 


hand  to  hand,  and  though  I  could  not  find  out  that 
there  was  the  slightest  reason  for  suspecting  they 
were  at  all  prepared  beyond  what  was  usual,  or 
aware  of  the  attack,  they  contrived  to  be  instantly 
at  the  right  point,  and  though  with  barely  3,000 
men  to  defend  works,  the  inner  circle  of  which  is  at 
least  2  miles  in  circumference,  and  with  3,900  men 
attacking,  they  remained  master  of  the  field,  killing 
near  400  and  taking  1,500  prisoners.  The  French 
General  was  an  elderly  man  who  left  all  to  his  Aide 
de  Camp.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  head,  and  has  been 
rewarded  most  deservedly  in  the  ribbon  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  The  French,  it  is  supposed, 
lost  5  or  600  men.  The  number  was  certainly 
great,  and  they  were  aware  of  it,  for  they  buried 
their  dead  directly,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of 
counting.  The  Bergen  op  Zoom  people  say  it  is 
utterly  impossible  to  account  for  the  failure  of  the 
assault  but  on  the  supposition  that  the  English 
were  led  to  conclude  that  the  French  would  make 
no  resistance  or  that  they  were  badly  officered.  I 
should  be  sorry  to  believe  the  latter,  and  yet  I  heard 
from  good  authority  that  many  of  these,  instead  of 
encouraging  their  men  at  the  Water  post  gate,  were 
actually  busied  in  collecting  braziers  and  fires  to 
warm  themselves  and  rest  upon  their  arms. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  wading  on  such  a  night 
upwards  of  50  yards  in  mud  and  water  must  have 
been  dreadfully  cold,  but  I  can  scarcely  conceive  that 
upon  a  service  so  important  cold  could  have  any 
influence ;  however,  never  having  led  an  assault 


1814]  DRIVE   TO   BREDA  217 

under  such  circumstances  I  can  be  no  judge. 
Were  I  to  give  my  own  opinion,  it  would  be  this  : 
That  the  affair  was  entrusted  to  certain  General 
officers  who  were  unfortunately  killed  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  action  ;  that  no  precautions  appear  to 
have  been  provided  against  such  accidents,  and  no 
remedy  applied  to  the  confusion  thereby  created — 
the  Columns  knew  not  what  to  do,  each  on  gaining 
its  point  possibly  waiting  for  orders  to  proceed ; 
that  the  darkness  increased  the  confusion — in  short, 
that  "the  right  hand  knew  not  what  the  left  hand 
did,"  and  that  the  French  acted  with  incomparable 
bravery  and  skill.  It  should  be  added  that  most  of 
their  troops  were  conscripts.  It  is  an  ugly  story 
altogether,  and  I  shall  say  no  more.  A  sketch  of 
the  works  in  and  near  the  Antwerp  gate  will  give 
you  some  idea  of  the  spot  which  has  proved  the 
grave  of  so  many  fine  officers  and  men.  At 
4  o'clock  we  quitted  the  town  for  Breda — the 
greatest  part  of  the  road  inexorably  flat  and  un- 
interesting ;  but  what  is  lost  in  the  country  is 
gained  in  the  Towns,  villages,  and  people — they 
are  mi  generis.  For  3  hours  did  we  toil  through 
a  deep  sand  between  parallel  lines  of  willows  of  the 
same  size,  shape,  and  dimensions  ;  then  for  3  hours 
more  did  we  proceed  at  a  foot  pace  over  a  common ; 
this  brought  us  to  Breda  just  in  time  for  the  gates, 
through  which  we  trotted  to  the  usual  rattle  of 
drawbridges,  chains,  &c.  By  the  bright  light 
of  the  moon  at  night  and  earliest  dawn  of  the 
following  morning  we  rambled  through  the  streets. 


Breda  was  one  of  the  last  towns  which  got  rid  of 
its  French  garrison  without  a  siege ;  it  departed 
one  night  without  beat  of  drum,  and  the  Cossacks 
came  in  to  breakfast,  leaving  the  trembling  inhabi- 
tants to  doubt  whether  in  escaping  Scylla  they 
were  not  approaching  Charybdis.  However,  they 
behaved  tolerably  well.  "  Did  they  pillage?  "  saicl 
I  to  a  Breda  lady  who  travelled  with  us  in  the 
Diligence.  "Oh  non,"  she  replied;  "  seulement 
quelque  fois  ils  prenaient  des  choses  sans  payer." 
Thus  a  Cossack  comes  into  a  Shop,  makes  signs  he 
wants  some  Cloth.  The  Dutchman,  delighted  with 
the  idea  of  accommodating  a  new  purchaser,  takes 
down  his  best  pieces.  The  Cossack  looks  them  over, 
fixes  on  one,  takes  it  up,  pops  it  under  his  arm, 
and  walks  off,  leaving  the  astonished  vendor 
gaping  behind  his  counter  to  meditate  on  the 
Profits  of  this  new  verbal  ceremony. 

After  the  Cossacks  came  the  Prussians,  who  re- 
mained a  long  time  and  were  little  better  than  the 
French — they  lodged  in  free  quarters,  domineered 
without  mercy,  and  paid  for  nothing.  All  the 
Prussian  officers  I  have  seen  appeared  gentleman- 
like men,  but  they  are  nowhere  popular.  The 
English  succeeded  the  Prussians,  they  were  all 
"  charmants "  ;  then  came  the  Dutch  who  were 
"comme  (;a,"  but  then  "  n'importe "  they  were 
their  own  countrymen.  I  rather  begin  to  like 
the  Dutch  women.  The  next  day  in  the  Dili- 
gence we  had  my  present  informant,  a  lively, 
talkative  damsel  of  Breda,  a  very  pretty  girl  of 


1814]       A   MEETING   WITH   ARTILLERY          219 

the  same  town  who  talked  nothing  but  Dutch 
and  an  old  Lady  who  would  have  been  perfect 
if  everything  had  been  as  charming  as  her  Dress. 
The  Ladies  are  elegant  and  apparently  well- 
behaved,  with  all  the  liveliness  of  the  French. 
We  met  with  no  adventures  till  we  came  to  a 
river  ;  here  a  regiment  of  Dutch  cavalry  impeded 
our  progress  and  luckily  gave  us  time  to  get  our 
breakfast  ;  the  next  river  brought  us  in  contact 
with  a  detachment  of  Artillery  waggons.  Our 
Diligence  consisted  of  a  Machine  with  6  seats 
inside,  a  cabriolet  in  which  sat  Edward  and  myself, 
on  a  little  seat  before  us  the  driver  with  his  legs 
dangling  for  want  of  a  footboard.  His  patience 
had  been  rather  put  to  the  test  by  the  cavalry, 
but  the  Artillery  quite  upset  him,  and  on  getting 
entangled  amongst  their  train,  uttering  two  of  the 
French  words  he  had  learnt  from  his  servitude 
under  the  Emperor,  viz.,  "  sacre  bleu,"  he  popped 
his  pipe  into  his  pocket,  threw  the  reins  into  my 
hands,  and  jumped  down  to  request  the  Officer's 
permission  to  pass.  Under  existing  circumstances 
I  confess  I  did  not  much  like  the  responsibility  of 
the  charge  committed  to  me,  but  fortunately  our 
conductor  soon  returned  with  permission  to  pass. 
We  got  out  while  he  drove  his  4  in  hand  quietly 
into  the  boat,  every  cranny  of  which  was  filled  up 
by  soldiers  and  artillery  horses,  which,  as  if  to  shew 
off  the  pomp  of  war,  capered  and  reared  before 
our  sedate  steeds,  who  only  wanted  pipes  in  their 
mouths  to  rival  the  impenetrable  gravity  of  their 


220       BEFOKE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

driver.  It  is  necessary  to  cross  the  Waal  before 
you  get  to  Gorum.  When  we  got  to  the  bank  not 
a  boat  was  to  be  had  With  some  difficulty  at  last 
our  Coachman  procured  a  miserable  punt  with  a 
boy.  What  with  our  Trunks  and  passengers  we 
were  quite  enough  for  it ;  indeed,  the  female  part 
of  our  crew  hesitated  for  some  time  ;  and  well  they 
might,  for  no  sooner  had  we  shoved  from  the 
shore  than  a  leak  was  discovered  which  threatened 
serious  consequences.  It  gained  rapidly  ;  the  old 
Lady  above  mentioned  was  in  despair,  and  sat  with 
her  thumb  crammed  over  the  spouting  orifice  the 
whole  time,  while  a  young  man  baled  with  his 
shoes  as  fast  as  possible.  This  was  not  all.  The 
Stream  carried  us  down,  and  our  driver — no  great 
sailor — caught  crabs  at  every  other  pull  ;  then  we 
got  upon  a  bank.  Really  I  begun  to  think  it  would 
be  quite  as  well  to  be  safe  now,  but  as  for  fear, 
it  was  out  of  the  question,  the  lamentations  of  the 
women,  and  terrors  of  the  old  lady  in  particular, 
kept  us  quite  in  Spirits.  The  last  event  was  the 
total  overthrow  of  the  driver  by  a  sudden  bump 
against  the  bank.  Poor  fellow !  he  was  not  only 
well  drenched,  but  his  head  cut  by  falling  against 
the  seat  of  the  boat  in  his  overturn.  Though 
every  nerve  vibrated  with  compassion,  it  was 
quite  impossible  to  avoid  laughing.  Luckily  a 
glass  of  vinegar  well  rubbed  upon  the  wound 
soon  set  him  to  rights  and  good  humor.  Gorum 
and  Naard  were  the  last  two  towns  which  the 
French  retained,  and  poor  Gorum  suffered  sadly. 


1814]  A  DUTCH  CLERIC  221 

The  Suburbs,  Tea  gardens,  avenues,  walks,  &c., 
were  all  destroyed  by  the  French  to  prevent  the 
Prussians  coming  in,  and  their  houses  and  heads 
knocked  about  with  shot  and  shells  to  drive  the 
French  out.  Luckily  the  French  listened  to  the 
entreaties  of  the  people  and  capitulated. 

I  wish  they  would  bombard  Knutsford  or  Maccles- 
field  or  some  of  our  Towns  for  an  hour  or  two,  just 
to  shew  them  what  war  is.  Bang,  whiz,  down 
comes  a  shell  and  away  goes  a  house.  War  and 
slavery  have  quite  reconciled  the  Dutch  to  the 
abdication  of  Napoleon.  In  answer  to  the  question, 
"  Etes  vous  content  de  ces  changements  ?  "  you  meet 
with  no  doubtful  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  no  am- 
biguous "  mais  que,  oui "  ;  an  instantaneous  extra 
whiff  of  satisfaction  is  puffed  forth,  accompanied 
with  the  synonimous  terms,  "  Napoleon  et  Diable." 
On  leaving  Gorum  we  acquired  an  accession  of 
passengers — a  protestant  clergyman  and  a  fat  man, 
who  looked  much  like  a  conjurer  or  alchymist.  A 
protestant  clergyman  in  Holland  may  be  known  by 
his  dress — a  cocked  hat  of  a  peculiar  model  covers 
a  lank  head  of  unpowdered  hair.  Nothing  white 
appears  throughout  but  the  pipe  in  his  mouth  and 
cravat  round  his  neck,  a  long  black  coat  down  to 
his  ancles,  with  black  worsted  stockings  and  gold- 
headed  cane.  I  must  say  they  do  not  look  over 
and  above  agreeable,  and  as  they  hate  all  innova- 
tions few  have  learnt  French,  so  that  I  have  been 
foiled  in  most  of  my  attempts  at  conversation. 

From  Gorum  to  Utrecht  the  country  improves  ; 


222       BEFORE  AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

we  had  hitherto  travelled  sometimes  on  Dyke  tops, 
sometimes  in  Dyke  bottoms  which  only  required 
the  efforts  of  a  few  able-bodied  rats  to  let  the  water 
in  upon  us.  It  is  quite  surprising  to  see  on  what 
a  precarious  tenure  Holland  is  held.  Take  but  a 
Dyke  away,  overturn  one  dam,  and  see  what  discord 
follows — and  this  does  sometimes  happen.  In 
1809  the  Ice  broke  through  near  Gorum  and 
carried  away  countless  houses,  men,  cattle,  &c.  I 
have  said  the  country  improved,  i.e.,  we  got  into 
a  land  of  villas  and  Trees,  some  of  them  beautifully 
laid  out,  and  all,  stable  included,  bright  and 
clean  as  possible.  Each,  too,  has  its  Summer 
house  perched  by  the  Canal  side  and  (the  Evening 
being  fine)  well  filled  with  parties  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  The  road  for  many  miles  was  orna- 
mented with  wooden  triumphal  arches  and  hung 
with  festoons  of  flowers,  &c.,  as  a  compliment  to 
the  Emperor  Alexander,  who  passed  about  a 
month  ago.  .  .  . 

.  .  .  We  arrived  at  Amsterdam  on  Monday  night  ; 
here,  again,  all  was  new.  Hitherto  we  had  rode  in 
Carriages  of  various  descriptions  with  wheels,  but 
in  Amsterdam  you  have  them  without  wheels,  drawn 
by  a  fine  horse  and  driven  by  a  man  who  walks  by 
the  side  with  his  long  reins.  .  .  . 

But  what  delighted  me  more  than  anything 
else  was  the  prospect  of  suiting  Owen  and  Mary 
exactly.  What  think  you  of  a  Goat  Curricle? 
Goats  are  regularly  trained  for  draught,  and  are 
the  prettiest  things  in  the  world,  trotting  in  neat 


1814]  AN  ENGLISH   DUTCHMAN  223 

harness  with  two  or  three  children.  I  shall,  if  I 
have  time  at  Rotterdam,  see  if  I  can  get  a  pair. 
Buonaparte  was  so  delighted  with  them  that  he 
ordered  4  for  the  King  of  Rome.  Amsterdam  is 
a  very  large,  gloomy  town,  intersected  in  all  direc- 
tions by  water,  monotonous  in  the  extreme.  Had  I 
not  been  convinced  by  the  evidence  of  my  senses  in 
looking  down  from  a  house  top  on  several  objects 
I  had  visited  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  I  should 
have  suspected  that  our  Laquais  de  place  had 
amused  himself  by  walking  up  and  down  the  same 
street  where  Canals  with  trees  on  each  side  do  not 
keep  the  houses  asunder  ;  high  buildings  and  narrow 
streets  of  dark,  small  brown  brick  constitute  the 
character  of  the  town,  and,  having  seen  one,  you 
have  seen  the  whole.  In  the  course  of  my  walk  I 
heard  that  two  or  three  Englishmen  were  settled  in 
the  town.  I  called  on  one,  the  Revd.  Mr.  Lowe, 
with  little  of  the  Englishman  left  but  the  language. 
He  had  been  there  30  years  and  held  a  Presby- 
terian Church.  I  asked  him  if  Napoleon  troubled 
the  English  settlers  during  the  war.  He  said  that, 
provided  they  conformed  quickly  to  the  laws  and 
regulations,  they  experienced  no  persecution.  Upon 
my  asking  if  it  was  at  all  necessary  to  conceal 
his  extraction,  he  exclaimed,  "What,  conceal  my 
extraction,  deny  my  country  ?  Not  for  all  the 
Emperors  in  the  world.  No,  I  have  too  much 
conscience  and  independence.  To  be  sure,  I  was 
obliged  by  law  to  pray  for  the  health  and  prosperity 
of  Buonaparte  every  Sunday.  But  what  signified 


224       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

that?  God  Almighty  understood  very  well  what 
I  meant,  and  that  I  heartily  wished  his  death  all 
the  time."  By  long  residence  in  Holland,  he  had 
adopted  a  good  portion  of  Dutch  impenetrability 
and  slowness.  He  assured  us  nothing  short  of  a 
week  could  give  us  the  least  chance  of  seeing  the 
curiosities  of  Amsterdam,  and  when  I  told  him 
that  we  were  (according  to  our  common  custom  of 
early  rising)  to  be  in  North  Holland  by  6  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  had  seen  all  by  1 1  o'clock 
which  occupies  a  Dutchman's  whole  day,  and  gave 
him  a  few  instances  of  our  mode  of  operation,  he 
threw  himself  back,  raised  his  cocked  hat  to 
examine  us  more  thoroughly,  put  his  arms  akimbo 
and  exclaimed,  "  How  do  you  support  human 
nature.  It  must  expire  under  such  fatigue,"  and  I 
found  it  quite  impossible  to  convince  him  that  my 
health  for  the  last  month  had  been  infinitely  better 
than  usual.  But,  after  all,  I  fear  you  will  find  me 
growing  old.  I  had  a  compliment  paid  to  my  grey 
hairs,  in  coming  from  Utretcht,  which  must  be 
mentioned.  The  fat  Alchymist,  above  mentioned, 
squeezed  himself  into  Edward's  place  in  the  Dili- 
gence ;  on  remonstrating  to  a  young  Dutch  gentleman 
who  spoke  French,  he  replied,  "  Que  c'etait  vraiment 
impoli  mais  que  c'etait  un  viellard  a  qui  on  devait 
ceder  quelque  chose,  et  je  vous  assure,  Monsieur, 
comme  vous  etes  aussi  un  peu  age  si  vous  aviez 
pris  ma  place  je  vous  1'aurais  cede."  In  Amster- 
dam there  is  little  to  be  seen  but  the  Palais,  in 
which  there  is  a  splendid  collection  of  Flemish 


1814]  IN  A  TRECHSCHUYT  225 

pictures — two  or  three  of  the  finest  of  Rembrandt — 
and  without  exception  the  most  splendid  room  I 
have  seen  in  Europe.  It  is  the  great  Hall  of 
audience  ;  King  Louis  l  has  fitted  up  everything  in 
grand  style.  We  went  over  what  the  Dutchmen 
cry  up  as  an  object  which  it  would  be  unpardonable 
not  to  see — the  Felix  meritus,  a  sort  of  Lecture 
room  with  some  wretched  museums  attached.  I 
found  nothing  to  interest  me  but  a  capital  figure 
of  a  Dutchman,  who  came  also  to  see  the  wonders. 
Nothing  could  exceed  his  attitudes  as  he  looked 
with  an  eye  of  incredulity  whilst  they  explained  a 
planetarium,  examined  with  an  air  of  conscious 
safety  a  snake  corked  up  in  a  bottle,  and  ogled 
with  terror  a  skeleton  which  grinned  at  him  out 
of  his  case.  I  walked  round  and  tried  his  per- 
spective in  all  directions,  and  rather  blushed  when, 
with  treacherous  condescension,  I  requested  him 
to  use  my  Glass  that  I  might  see  how  he  looked 
peeping  thro'  a  Telescope.  This  is  such  a  Museum 
as  will  furnish  me  with  samples  of  oddities  for  the 
rest  of  my  life. 

LETTER  XIV. 

August  6,   1814. 

Luckily  we  have  a  commodious  cabin  in  the 
Trechschuyt,  and  no  smoke  or  other  intruders,  so 
where  I  finished  my  last  I  will  begin  another. 

As  to  the  country,  a  peep  once  an  hour  will  be 
sufficient  ;  I  will  look  out  of  the  window  and  give 

1  Louis  Buonaparte,  third  brother  of  Napoleon,  1778-1846; 
King  of  Holland,  1806-1813. 

15 


226       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

you  the  result — five  plover,  a  few  fat  cows,  a  good 
many  rushes,  and  a  canal  bridge.  At  Amsterdam 
we  dined  at  a  regular  Dutch  table  d'hote  ;  about 
20  people,  all  of  them  eaters,  few  talkers  ;  the 
quantity  of  vegetables  consumed  was  quite  sur- 
prising. With  the  last  dish  a  boy  came  round  with 
pipes  and  hot  coals,  which  were  soon  followed  by 
a  tremendous  explosion  of  Tobacco  from  a  double 
line  of  smokers,  and  as  if  the  simple  operation  of 
puffing  in  and  puffing  out  was  too  much  for  these 
drowsy  operators,  many  of  them  leaned  back  in 
their  chairs,  put  their  hands  in  their  breeches 
pockets,  shut  their  eyes,  and  carried  on  the  war 
with  one  end  of  the  pipe  in  their  mouths  and  the 
other  leaning  on  their  plates.  On  Wednesday, 
Aug.  3rd,  we  crossed  the  Gulf  by  sun  rise  on  a  little 
tour  into  North  Holland,  to  see  the  Village  of 
Brock  and  Saardam,  where  the  house  in  which  the 
Czar  Peter  worked  still  exists.  We  landed  at 
Buiksloot,  from  whence  carriages  are  hired  to 
different  parts  of  the  country.  From  Breda  to 
Amsterdam  they  varied  the  Diligences  according 
to  the  number  of  travellers ;  sometimes  we  had  a 
coach  and  four,  and  then  a  machine  and  three,  and 
as  our  number  diminished  we  were  forwarded  the 
last  stage  or  two  in  a  vehicle  perfectly  nondescript 
with  two  horses  ;  it  was  a  sort  of  cart  painted  white, 
hung  upon  springs,  with  an  awning,  but  it  was 
reserved  for  this  morning  to  see  us  in  a  carriage 
far  beyond  anything  before  seen  or  heard  of.  I 
am  inclined  to  think  it  must  have  been  the  identical 


A   SPOTLESS  VILLAGE  227 

equipage  (for  it  was  a  little  the  worse  for  wear) 
which  the  fairy  produced  from  the  gourd  for  the 
service  of  Cinderella — a  sort  of  Phaeton  lined  with 
red  flowered  velvet,  the  whole  moulding  beauti- 
fully carved  and  gilt,  the  panels  well  painted  with 
flowers,  birds,  urns,  &c.,  the  wheels  red  and  gold. 
It  contained  two  seats  for  four  persons,  and  a  coach 
box  painted,  carved,  and  gilt  like  the  body  of  the 
carriage ;  the  whole  was  in  a  Lilliput  style  drawn 
by  two  gigantic  black  horses,  whose  tails  reached 
above  the  level  of  our  heads.  It  was  exactly  suited 
to  the  place  where  we  were  going,  the  village  of 
Brock,  which,  like  our  vehicle,  was  unlike  any- 
thing I  had  seen  before.  I  have,  in  former  letters, 
talked  of  Dutch  cleanliness  and  neatness,  but  what 
is  all  I  have  said  compared  with  Brock  ?  Even  the 
people  have  their  jokes  upon  its  superiority  in  this 
particular,  and  assert  that  the  inhabitants  actually 
wash  and  scrub  their  wood  before  they  put  it  on 
the  fire.  Lady  Penrhyn's  cottages  must  yield  the 
palm,  they  are  -only  internally  washed  and 
painted,  but  in  Brock,  Tops  and  bottoms,  Outside 
and  in,  bricks  and  all,  are  constantly  under  the 
discipline  of  the  paint  brush,  and  as  if  Nature  was 
not  sufficiently  clean  in  her  operations,  the  stems 
of  several  of  their  trees  were  white  washed  too  !  In 
fact,  nothing  seemed  to  escape — the  Milk  pails  were 
either  burnished  brass  or  painted  buckets,  and  the 
little  straw  baskets  the  women  carried  in  their 
hands  came  in  for  their  share  of  blue,  red,  or 
green.  They  have  such  a  dread  of  dirt,  that 


228        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

entrance  is  limited  to  the  back  door  only,  the 
opening  of  the  front  door  being  reserved  for  grand 
occasions,  such  as  weddings,  funerals,  &c.  It  is 
not  accessible  by  carriages  and  horses,  on  account 
of  several  canals  which  intersect  it ;  these  some- 
times widen,  and  in  one  part  the  houses  stand 
round  a  pretty  little  lake.  I  can  give  you  no  better 
idea  of  the  scene  than  a  Chinese  paper,  whose 
neat  summer  houses  and  painted  boats  are  all 
mixed  together.  Most  houses  have  each  a 
separate  garden,  kept  in  style  equally  clean.  I 
really  believe  my  own  dusty  shoes  were  the  most 
impure  things  in  the  whole  village. 

We  returned  to  Buiksloot  and  then  proceeded  to 
Saardam,  on  the  top  of  a  Dyke,  which  keeps  the 
sea  from  inundating  the  vast  levels  of  North 
Holland.  Saardam  might  be  held  up  as  the  pattern 
of  neatness  had  I  not  visited  Brock  first ;  as  it  is, 
I  can  only  say  that,  though  four  times  as  large,  it 
seems  to  be  its  rival  in  cleanliness  and  paint.  The 
number  of  windmills  is  quite  astonishing  ;  it  would 
require  an  army  of  Don  Quixotes.  I  counted 
myself  upwards  of  1 30  in  and  close  to  the  town ; 
they  say  there  are  1,200.  Windmills  seem  great 
favourites  with  the  Dutch.  In  the  Diligence  near 
Utrecht  my  neighbour  roused  me  by  a  sudden 
exclamation,  "  Oh  la  vue  superbe  !  "  I  looked,  and 
beheld  14  of  them  in  a  Dyke!  and  yesterday,  on 
asking  the  Laquais  de  place  if  we  should  see 
anything  curious  at  Saardam  besides  the  Czar's 
house,  he  replied,  "  Oh  que,  oui — beaucoup  de 
Moulins!"  Peter  the  Great's  house  is  a  small 


1814]          A   SLEEPY  CONGREGATION  229 

wooden  cottage  close  to  the  town,  remarkable  for 
nothing  but  having  been  his. 

Alexander  had  put  up  two  little  marble  Tablets 
over  the  fireplace,  commemorating  his  visit  to  the 
Imperial  residence,  on  which  something  good  and 
pointed  might  have  been  inscribed ;  as  they  are,  it 
is  merely  stated  that  Alexander  placed  them  on, 
and  that  Mrs.  Von  Tets  Von  Groudam  stood  by, 
delighted  to  see  him  so  employed.  We  returned 
to  Amsterdam  by  3  o'clock  and  left  it  at  4  for 
Haarlem.  In  Protestant  countries  Cathedrals  are 
not  always  open ;  we  found  that  at  Haarlem  open 
and  a  numerous  congregation  listening  to  a  very 
respectable,  venerable-looking  preacher,  whose 
voice  and  manner,  style  and  action  approached 
perfection.  His  eloquence,  however,  seemed  to 
be  in  vain,  for  I  observed  many  sleepers ;  and  what 
had  an  odd  effect,  though  customary  in  their 
country,  the  men  with  their  hats  on ;  they  take 
them  off,  I  believe,  during  prayers,  but  put  them 
down  during  the  sermon ;  we  ascended  the  tower 
and  enjoyed  as  extensive  a  view  as  heart  could 
wish.  The  sea  of  Haarlem  is  an  immense  lake 
separated  from  the  Gulf  by  a  flood  gate  and  narrow 
dam.  The  French  had  a  block  house  and  batteries 
here.  In  truth,  Holland  does  not  require  above 
20  guns  to  keep  out  all  the  enemies  in  the  world. 
Different,  indeed,  are  the  Dutch  from  the  French 
in  the  facility  and  liberality  of  access  to  their 
curiosities.  It  required  some  eloquence  and  more 
money  to  induce  the  key-keeper  to  let  us  go  up ; 


230       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

and  on  asking  whether  the  Organ  was  to  play,  he 
assured  us  it  was  not,  but  that  if  we  wished  it,  the 
performer  would  sound  the  notes  for  i6s  killings; 
this  was  a  gross  imposition  to  which  we  were  little 
inclined  to  submit ;  but  luckily,  as  we  were  coming 
down,  we  heard  it  opening  its  great  bellows  and 
re-echoing  through  the  body  of  the  church.  We 
almost  broke  our  necks  in  running  downstairs,  and 
leaving  the  Dutch  guide  to  take  care  of  himself,  we 
found  our  way  into  the  Organ  loft,  to  the  visible 
annoyance  of  the  performer,  who,  seeing  we  were 
strangers,  thought  himself  sure  of  his  eight  florins, 
but  his  duty  and  the  Church  service  compelled  him 
to  go  on,  and  he  shook  his  head  and  growled  in 
vain  at  our  guide,  who  at  this  time  appeared, 
intimating  that  he  should  take  us  away,  as  having 
no  business  there,  but  in  vain.  I  heard  the  Organ, 
counted  the  68  stops,  examined  at  my  leisure  the 
stupendous  instrument,  while  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  continuing  his  involuntary  voluntary, 
till  my  curiosity  was  satisfied.  We  took  up  our 
residence  at  an  Hotel  in  the  Wood,  so-called  from 
being  the  place  of  promenade  and  site  of  the  new 
palace,  but  ci-devant  residence  of  Mrs.  Hope,  and, 
in  fact,  from  being  also  a  respectable  wood  of 
tolerably  sized  trees. 

By  the  best  chance  in  the  world  here,  too,  we 
fell  in  with  a  fete  on  the  river.  Some  great 
Burgomaster  had  married  himself,  and  all  the  world 
of  Haarlem  came  forth  in  boats,  decorated  with 
colors,  and  bands  of  music  in  procession  up  the 


(II 

1*$™ 


1814]  LEYDEN  231 

river  to  pass  in  review  before  the  Princess  of 
Orange,  an  elderly-looking  woman.  She  sat  in 
the  window  of  a  summer  house  overlooking  the 
river,  and  the  festive  procession  assembled  before 
her.  It  was  a  lovely  evening,  and  nothing  could 
be  more  gay  and  animating  than  the  scene.  We 
this  morning  at  6  quitted  Haarlem  in  the  boat  in 
which  I  am  now  writing  as  comfortably  as  in  my 
own  room,  the  motion  scarcely  perceptible,  about 
5  miles  an  hour ;  by  good  luck  few  passengers,  and 
those  above  looking  at  a  man  who  is  at  this 
incessant  Dutch  employment  of  painting.  The 
boat  is  as  clean  as  a  china  dish,  but  possibly  it  may 
not  have  been  painted  since  last  week.  Edward 
has  just  daubed  his  hand  by  looking  out  of  the 
window.  I  am  rather  puzzled  in  getting  on  here. 
Very  little  French  is  spoken ;  among  the  common 
people  none,  and  we  converse  by  signs. 

.  .  .  Their  money,  too,  is  puzzling  beyond 
measure.  My  stock  consists  of  5  franc  pieces 
(French),  upon  which,  exclusive  of  their  not  always 
understanding  what  they  are,  there  is  a  discount  ; 
this,  of  course,  adds  to  the  confusion,  and  now 
I  despair  of  understanding  the  infinite  variety  of 
square,  hexagon,  round  coins  of  copper  and  silver 
and  base  metal  which  pass  through  my  hands. 

We  passed  two  hours  at  Leyden  as  actively 
employed  as  a  Foxhunter.  We  found  a  man  who 
spoke  French,  told  him  our  wishes,  gave  him  a  list 
of  what  was  to  be  seen  in  the  town,  and  then 
desired  him  to  start,  following  him  on  the  full  trot 


232        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

up  and  down  churches,  colleges,  Townhalls,  &c. 
These  towns  are  so  much  alike,  that  having  seen 
one  the  interest  is  considerably  lessened.  Leyden, 
however,  has  the  honour  of  possessing  one  of  the 
finest  streets  in  Hollajid  ;  though  capable  of  accom- 
modating 65,000  souls,  there  are  not  more  than 
20,000,  which  gives  it  a  melancholy  appearance. 
In  one  part  there  is  an  area  of  about  3  or  4 
Cheshire  acres  planted  with  trees  and  divided  with 
walls,  which  in  1807  was  covered,  like  the  rest  of 
the  town,  with  good  houses,  but  it  happened  that  a 
barge  full  of  gunpowder  passing  through  the  canal, 
blew  up,  killed  200  people,  including  a  very 
clever  Professor  Lugai,  and  destroyed  all  the 
houses.  It  was  a  sad  catastrophe,  to  be  sure  ;  but 
now,  as  it  is  all  over,  and  all  the  good  people's 
mourning  laid  aside,  I  think  the  Town  may  be 
congratulated  as  a  gainer.  I  could  fill  up  my  letter 
with  the  anatomical  preparations  of  the  celebrated 
Albinus ;  but  though  I  am  very  partial  to  these 
sights,  I  doubt  whether  you  would  be  amused  by  a 
description  of  dried  men,  with  their  hearts,  lungs, 
and  brains  suspended  in  different  bottles.  The 
town  is  full  of  booksellers'  shops,  in  which  capital 
Classics  might  be  procured  and  divers  others  old 
books.  The  windows  were  also  well  filled  with  new 
works  translated  into  Dutch  ;  few,  I  think,  original ; 
imongst  others,  I  saw  "  Ida  of  Athens ! "  I 

It  is  not  easy  to  trace  the  sieges  of  Philip  2nd  in 
these  towns,  as  the  fortifications  are  most  of  them 
1  A  novel  by  Lady  Morgan. 


1814]  GOAT  GIGS  233 

extinct,  fortresses  of  more  modern  construction 
being  now  the  keys  of  the  country.  Neat  villas 
and  gardens  by  the  canal  side  marked  our  approach 
to  the  seat  of  government — and  a  very  first-rate 
Town  the  Hague  is,  though  I  cannot  conceive 
how  the  people  escape  agues  and  colds  in  Autumn. 
Stagnant  canals  and  pools,  with  all  circulation  of  air 
checked  by  rows  of  trees,  cannot  be  healthy. 
Unfortunately  for  us,  Lord  Clancarty  is  at 
Bruxelles  with  the  Prince  of  Orange.  The  Hague 
appears,  from  what  I  have  seen,  to  be  a  better 
town  for  permanent  residence  than  Bruxelles  or 
Antwerp.  The  houses  are  all  good,  which  implies 
a  superior  quality  of  inhabitants.  In  the  evening 
we  took  a  drive  to  Scheveningen,  a  fishing  village 
about  2  or  3  miles  distant,  through  a  delightful 
avenue.  It  is  one  of  the  fashionable  resorts  of  the 
town,  and  is  absolute  perfection  on  a  hot  day, 
though  pregnant  with  damp  and  dew  in  the  evening. 
I  told  you  of  dog  carts  at  Bruxelles,  but  here  seems 
to  be  the  region  of  despotic  sway  of  the  poor 
beasts.  I  believe  that  I  am  not  wrong  in  stating 
that  nearly  all  the  fish  is  carried  by  them  from 
Scheveningen  to  the  Hague  ;  and  the  weight  they 
draw  is  surprising.  We  passed  many  canine 
equipages ;  in  one  sat  a  fisherman  and  his  wife 
drawn  by  three  dogs  not  much  bigger  than 
Pompey — he  with  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  she  with 
an  enormous  Umbrella  Hat,  as  grave  as  Pluto  and 
Proserpine.  I  saw  several  nice  goat  gigs  ;  more- 
over, I  am  determined  to  have  one  for  Owen.  .  .  . 


234       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

.  .  .  It  is  quite  extraordinary  with  what  excessive 
silence  and  gravity  these  people  carry  on  their 
affairs.  On  returning  from  Scheveningen  at  a 
good  round  trot,  we  came  in  contact  with  another 
carriage.  Luckily  no  other  accident  happened  than 
breaking  their  traces  and  grinding  their  wheels. 
But  though  disabled  by  our  driver,  not  a  syllable 
of  complaint  or  commiseration  was  uttered  by  one 
party  or  the  other.  Our  driver  proceeded,  leaving 
them  to  take  care  of  themselves.  I  observed,  too 
that  in  manoeuvring  the  Vessel  in  passing  the  Gulf 
yesterday,  where  some  tacks  were  necessary,  all 
was  performed  in  perfect  silence  ;  no  halloo-ing — a 
nod  or  a  puff  was  alone  sufficient.  .  .  . 

And  so  are  we  coming  to  the  close  of  our  Tour — 
our  next  stage  will  be  Rotterdam,  from  whence  I 
shall  bear  my  own  dispatches.  ...  In  the  course 
of  my  life  this  last  month  will  bear  a  conspicuous 
place  from  the  interesting  and  delightful  scenes 
it  has  afforded  me.  I  must  confess  I  left  England 
with  some  waverings  and  misgivings  ;  the  accounts 
of  others  led  me  to  expect  that  disappointments, 
difficulties,  and  great  expense  would  be  the  in- 
evitable accompaniments  of  my  course.  But  in  no 
instance  have  I  been  disappointed,  the  difficulties 
too  trifling  to  deserve  the  name,  the  expense 
nothing  compared  with  the  profits  derived,  and  I 
have  seen  enough  of  men  and  manners,  of  things 
animate  and  inanimate,  to  make  me  quite  at  home 
in  some  of  the  great  scenes  which  have  just  been 
performed.  .  .  . 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  WATERLOO  YEAR 

Lord  Sheffield's  forebodings — Talleyrand  and  the  Senate — 
Vagabond  Royalty — Mr.  North  and  Napoleon — The  rout 
of  the  Bourbon  Government. 

1814-1816. 

^HE    two    years    which    intervened    between 

JL        Edward  Stanley's   second   and   third   visits 

to  France  saw  the  Empire   regained  and  lost  by 

Napoleon,  and  the  French  Crown  lost  and  regained 

by  Louis  XVI 1 1. 

In  spite  of  the  rose-coloured  description  of  the 
comforts  and  pleasures  of  his  journey  with  which 
the  correspondence  of  1814  closes,  neither  the 
Rector  nor  his  brother  found  it  possible  to  travel 
on  the  Continent  in  1815,  which  Lady  Maria 
had  foretold  would  be  "a  much  more  favourable 
time." 

Such  hopes  must  soon  have  been  dashed  by  the 
proceedings  of  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  which,  as 
was  said,  "danse  mais  n'avance  pas,"  and  gloomy 
forebodings  are  shewn  in  two  letters  from  Lord 


236 


236       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Sheffield  to  his  son-in-law,  which  were  received 
at  Alderley  in  the  autumn  of  1814  and  the  spring 
of  1815. 

The  first  gives  Lord  Sheffield's  view  of  the 
situation,  and  the  second  describes  Napoleon's  own 
remarks  upon  it  to  Lord  Sheffield's  nephew,  Mr. 
Frederick  Douglas. 

Lord  Sheffield  to  Sir  John  Stanley. 

SHEFFIELD  PLACE,  October  30,  1814. 

It  is  time  I  should  provoke  some  symptom  of 
your  existence.  I  have  no  letters  from  Frederick 
North,1  but  I  can  acquaint  you  that  we  had  him- 
self here,  which  is  still  better,  and  that  he  has 
been  infinitely  entertaining,  after  three  or  four 
months'  tour  on  the  Continent,  from  whence  he 
arrived  about  three  weeks  ago,  and  where  he  pro- 
poses to  return  next  week,  to  pass  the  winter  at 
Nice  with  the  Glenbervies  and  Lady  Charlotte 
Lindsay,  who  are  gone  there,  and,  I  might  add, 
with  many  other  English  families.  I  begin  to 
think  I  shall  have  more  acquaintances  on  the 
Continent  than  in  England  ;  the  migration  there  is 
beyond  calculation. 

The  present  is  an  anxious  period.  Perhaps  there 
isn't  in  the  History  of  the  world  a  more  complete 
instance  of  political  imbecility  than  was  exhibited 
in  the  late  Peace  at  Paris,  especially  in  the  Allies 
not  availing  themselves  of  the  very  extraordinary 

1  F.  North,  afterwards  5th  Earl  of  Guilford. 


1814]      TALLEYRAND  TO  THE   RESCUE         237 

opportunity  of  securing  the  tranquillity  of  Europe 
for  a  long  time. 

I  conceive  that  the  most  selfish  ambition  will  not 
have  been  more  hurtful  than  liberality  run  mad. 
And  as  I  am  not  without  apprehension  of  that 
fanaticism,  which  for  some  time  has  interfered  even 
with  Parliament,  and  to  which  there  has  been  too 
much  concession,  I  incline  to  the  opinion  that 
enthusiasm,  as  fanaticism,  is  generally  more  hurtful 
to  society  than  scepticism.  The  fanatic  measures 
are  evidently  systematic  and  combined. 

Everybody  now  looks  eagerly  towards  the  Con- 
gress of  Vienna.  Talleyrand  displays  the  cloven 
foot,  by  refusing  to  recognise  the  junction  of  all 
the  Netherlands.  However,  the  Bourbons,  France, 
and  all  Europe  may  be  thankful  to  Talleyrand. 

You  have  often  heard  of  Barthelemy.1  His 
brother,  a  banker  at  Paris,  first  moved  in  the 
Senate  the  de'che'ance  of  the  Buonaparte  family. 
Alexander  was  treating  respecting  a  Regency. 
The  King  of  Prussia  did  not  attempt  to  take  a 
lead,  but  was  well  disposed  to  put  down  the 
dynasty.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  had  always 
declared  that  he  would  treat  with  Buonaparte  for 
Peace,  under  restrictions,  still  co-operating  with  the 
Allies. 

While  matters  were  in  this  state  Talleyrand  took 
the  opportunity  of  sending  a  message  to  the  Senate, 
saying  that  the  family  was  deposed,  and  by  this  step 
decided  the  business. 

1  A  member  of  the  Directory. 


238       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Buonaparte  never  showed  a  disposition  to  treat 
and  to  agree  to  terms  ;  but  when  he  had  seemingly 
agreed,  he  denied  or  broke  off  the  next  day.  The 
failure  or  desertion  of  the  Marshals  completed  his 
overthrow. 

It  is  surprising  that  he  did  not  attempt  to  join 
Augereau's  Army,1  and  retire  into  Italy,  where 
he  had  forty  thousand  very  good  troops.  At  all 
events  we  must  rest  upon  the  pinnacle  of  glory 
and  honour,  although  we  have  not  secured  a 
permanency  of  them.  By  premature  concession 
we  have  yielded  the  means  of  securing  the 
advantages  we  had  gained. 

The  affair  at  Lake  Champlain2  has  been  most 
unlucky,  as  it  will  encourage  the  Yankies,  under  the 
present  inveterate  and  execrable  Government,  to 
persevere  in  a  ruinous  warfare — ruinous  to  the 
American  States,  and  galling  to  this  country, 
liable  to  be  distracted  by  the  efforts  of  an  interested 
and  mischievous  faction,  which,  through  lack  of 
firmness  in  Government,  often  paralyses  measures 
of  the  utmost  consequence. 

I  have  seen  several  letters  from  Madrid,  and  I 
have  one  from  thence  now  before  me  of  the 
3rd  inst. 

A  degree  of  infatuation  prevails  there  which  you 
could  hardly  conceive  possible.  The  account  comes 
from  a  very  respectable  and  rational  quarter.  The 

1  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Lyons. 

2  The    defeat  of  the   British   Flotilla   by   the   Americans   in 
September,  1814. 


1814]      A  SPANISH  SINGER'S  REWARD         239 

most  respectable  characters  are  most  violently  per- 
secuted, and  the  persons  arraigned  are  confined  in 
dungeons,  no  communication  permitted ;  and  persons 
convicted  of  the  most  atrocious  acts  are  not  even  in 
disgrace. 

While  officers  and  soldiers  invalided  by  wounds 
are  starving,  the  King  T  is  profuse  to  persons  of  no 
merit,  and  has  given  a  pension  of  1,000  dollars  to  a 
young  lady  who  sang  before  him,  &c.,  &c. 

The  Spanish  Funds,  which  on  the  King's  arrival 
were  at  85,  are  now  at  50.  The  Revenue  is 
less  than  20  millions  of  Dollars,  the  expenditure 
nearly  50. 

Spain  is  likely  to  be  in  as  bad  a  state  as  ever, 
excepting  the  presence  of  a  French  Army  ;  con- 
sequently I  conceive  their  Transatlantic  Dominions 
will  be  lost  to  them. 

Nothing,  however,  could  be  more  favourable  to 
our  Commerce  than  their  emancipation.  Such  an 
event,  and  a  proper  Boundary  between  us  and  the 
American  States,  would  be  the  most  favourable 
result  of  the  war  to  this  country. 

There  is  an  uncommonly  good  Pamphlet  pub- 
lished on  this  subject  entitled  "A  completed  View  of 
the  points  to  be  discussed  in  treating  with  the 
American  States."  I  cannot  do  less  than  admire 
it,  because  it  seems  taken  from  my  shop,  or  at  least 
it  adopts  all  the  principles,  with  a  considerable 
amelioration,  by  taking  the  Line  of  Mountains  into 
the  Lakes,  and  all  the  Lakes  within  our  Boundary. 
1  Ferdinand  VII.,  b.  1784,  d.  1833. 


240       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

I  am  very  much  entertained  with  an  Anecdote 
in  a  letter  of  the  8th  inst.  now  before  me,  from 
Switzerland,  which  states  that  the  Princess  of 
Wales  dined  a  few  days  before  with  the  Empress 
Maria  Louisa  and  the  Archduchess  Constantine,1 
at  Berne,  and  after  dinner  the  Empress  and  Princess 
sang  Duets,  and  the  Archduchess  accompanied 
them.  Two  years  ago  nobody  would  have  believed 
such  an  event  possible. 

All  this  vagabond  Royalty  is  found  extremely 
troublesome  by  travellers,  filling  up  all  the  beds, 
and  carrying  away  all  the  horses.  The  above 
dinner  party  reminds  me  of  Candide  meeting  at  the 
Table  d'Hote  during  the  Carnival  at  Venice,  with 
two  ex-emperors,  and  a  few  ex-kings. 

The  Princess  of  Wales  could  not  be  prevailed  on 
to  remain  more  than  ten  days  at  Brunswick.  She 
left  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay  2  and  Serinyer  behind 
her,  and  proceeded  with  Lady  Elizabeth  Forbes  to 
Strasburg,  where  she  found  Talma,  the  renowned 
Actor,  and  halted  there  ten  days. 

Lord  Sheffield  to  Sir  John  Stanley. 

SHEFFIELD  PLACE,  February  i,  1815. 
We  are  much  entertained  with  Fred  Douglas's  3 
account  of  his  visit  of  four  days  to  the  Isle  of  Elba. 

1  Daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Saxe  Coburg;  married  in  1796  to 
the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  of  Russia. 

2  Daughter  of  the  second  Earl  of  Guilford:    married,   1800, 
John,  son  of  Earl  of  Balcarres ;  d.  1849. 

3  Son  of  Lord  Glenbervie,  and  nephew  of  Lord  Sheffield. 


1815]    MR.   DOUGLAS  AND   BUONAPARTE      241 

On  the  third  evening  he  had  an  interview  with 
Buonaparte  for  an  hour  and  a  half — the  conversa- 
tion very  curious.  He  says  that  Buonaparte  is  not 
at  all  like  any  of  his  Prints  ;  that  he  is  a  stout, 
thick-set  figure,  which  makes  him  look  short ;  his 
features  rather  coarse  and  his  eyes  very  light,  and 
particularly  dull  ;  but  his  mouth,  when  he  smiles, 
is  full  of  a  very  sweet,  good-humoured  expression  ; 
that  at  first  he  strikes  you  as  being  a  very  common- 
looking  man,  but  upon  observing  him  and  conversing 
with  him,  you  perceive  that  his  countenance  is  full 
of  deep  thought  and  decision. 

He  says  he  received  him  with  much  good  humour, 
and  talked  to  him  of  the  English  Constitution,  with 
which  he  seemed  well  acquainted ;  said  that  France 
never  could  have  the  same,  because  it  wanted  one 
of  the  principal  parts  of  it,  "  Les  Nobles  de 
Campagne."  He  talked  also  much  about  our 
church  Laws,  of  which  he  appeared  to  be  well 
informed,  but  said  he  heard  there  was  much  ill 
humour  in  Scotland  on  account  of  the  Union ! 
Frederick  thought  he  meant  Ireland,  but  found  he 
really  did  mean  Scotland,  and  had  no  idea  that 
the  Union  had  taken  place  above  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

He  said  he  did  not  think  the  Peace  would  last ; 
that  the  French  Nation  would  never  submit  long  to 
give  up  Belgium,  and  that  he  would  have  yielded 
all  except  that ;  that  he  would  have  given  up  the 
Slave  Trade,  as  it  was  a  Brigandage  of  very  little 
use  to  France.  He  had  a  most  extraordinary  idea 

16 


242        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

of  how  it  should  be  abolished,  viz.,  he  said  he 
would  allow  Polygamy  among  the  Whites  in  the 
West  Indies,  that  they  might  inter-marry  with  the 
Blacks,  and  all  become  Brothers  and  Sisters.  He 
said  that  he  had  consulted  a  Bishop  upon  this,  who 
had  objected  to  it  as  contrary  to  the  Christian 
Religion. 

He  seemed  very  anxious  to  know  concerning  the 
quarrels  of  the  Regent  and  his  wife,  upon  which 
subject  F.,  of  course,  evaded  giving  him  any 
answers.  He  said,  "On  dit  qu'il  aime  la  Mere  de 
ce  Yarmouth — mais  vous  Anglais,  vous  aimez 
les  vielles  Femmes,"  and  he  laughed  very  much. 
He  avoided  speaking  of  Maria  Louisa,  but  spoke 
of  Josephine  with  affection,  saying,  "  Elle  etoit 
une  excellente  Femme."  He  said  that  the  motive 
of  his  expedition  into  Russia  was,  first,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  lead  the  French  Army  somewhere, 
and  then  that  he  wished  to  establish  Poland  as  an 
independent  kingdom  ;  for  that  he  had  always 
loved  the  Poles,  and  had  many  obligations  to  them. 
He  talked  of  all  his  battles  as  you  would  of  a  show, 
saying  "C'e'toit  un  Spectacle  magnifique." 

When  Napoleon  had  fulfilled  his  own  prophecies 
of  the  prompt  disturbance  of  the  Peace  of  Europe 
by  landing  at  Cannes,  just  six  days  from  the  date 
of  this  last  letter,  Lord  Sheffield  writes  again,  after 
war  had  been  declared  by  the  Allies. 


1815]  NAPOLEON'S   RETURN  243 

Lord  Sheffield  to  Sir  John  Stanley. 

SHEFFIELD  PLACE,  March  24,  1815. 

I  was  greatly  oppressed  by  the  first  intelligence 
of  Napoleon's  Invasion.  I  was  afterwards  re- 
elevated,  and  now  I  am  tumbled  down  again. 

To  be  sure,  there  never  was  such  an  execrable 
nation  as  the  French.  The  much  more  respectable 
Hindoos  could  not  more  meekly  submit  to  any 
conqueror  that  chooses  to  run  through  their  country 
at  the  head  of  a  set  of  miscreant  soldiers.  The 
Pretorian  band  that  in  the  time  of  Imperial  Rome 
used  to  dispose  of  Empires  is  perfectly  re-established. 
Immediate  notice  was  sent  me  from  Newhaven  of 
the  Duke  of  Feltre's  x  (Minister  of  War)  arrival 
there,  and  of  poor  Louis's  flight  from  Paris. 

I  immediately  set  out,  with  the  intention  of 
rendering  service  to  the  variety  of  wretches  that 
were  pouring  in  upon  our  coast,  English  and  French, 
but  on  my  way  called  at  Stanmer,  where  I  found 
that  this  famous  Minister  of  War  was  gone  forward 
to  London,  that  the  few  ship-loads  that  had  got 
over  to  Newhaven  were  disposed  of,  and  an  embargo 
having  been  laid  on  the  Ports  of  France,  of  course 
there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done  on  our  coast. 

I  returned  home  at  night,  and  just  as  I  was  going 

1  General  Clarke,  1765-1818.  He  took  part  in  the  negotia- 
tions for  the  Treaty  of  Campo  Formio  in  1797.  He  was  made 
Due  de  Feltre  for  his  services  against  the  English  at  Walcheren. 
He  accepted  service  under  Louis  XVIII.,  and  was  his  Minister  of 
War,  1815-1816. 


244       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

out  of  Stanmer  Park  I  met  the  Duke  of  Taranto l 
entering,  for  whom  Lord  Chichester  had  sent  his 
carriage.  The  Duke  of  Feltre  brought  the  intelli- 
gence that  the  King  was  at  Abbeville. 

I  was  considerably  annoyed,  because  it  seemed 
like  inclining  to  England,  and  relinquishing  all  hopes 
of  France.  At  Abbeville  he  certainly  might  turn 
off  to  Lisle,  where  I  hope  he  is  gone,  and  there,  if 
there  be  any  loyal  Frenchmen,  they  may  flock  round 
his  standard. 

All  accounts,  and  letters,  that  I  have  seen  from 
France  agree  that  the  country  is  almost  universally 
against  Buonaparte,  and  it  is  very  clear  all  the  Army 
is  for  him,  and  that  all  the  Marshals  adhere  to  Louis, 
except  two.  If  so,  and  Napoleon  has  not  the  aid 
of  his  old  Generals,  he  may  find  it  difficult  to  manage 
the  many  Armies  that  he  must  keep  on  foot  to 
repel  the  attacks  that  will  be  made  on  him  from  all 
sides. 

I  cannot  help  thinking  he  is  in  a  bad  situation 
still.  When  all  the  Russians,  Cossacks,  Croats, 
Hungarians,  Austrians,  and  all  Germany  clatter 
round  him,  and  our  very  respectable  army  from  the 
Netherlands  advances,  if  he  has  nothing  but  the 
army  in  his  favour,  he  will  be  considerably  bothered, 
and  I  hope  the  sentimental,  silly  Alexander  will 
never  be  suffered  to  interfere  with  his  "  beaux 
sentimens"  in  favour  of  the  monster.  If  he  should 

1  Marshal  Macdonald  (made  Due  de  Tarente  after  the  battle 
of  Wagram,  1809),  b.  1765,  d.  1840.  He  did  not  join  Napoleon 
during  the  Hundred  Days,  but  refused  employment  under  the 
King,  and  served  only  as  a  simple  soldier  in  the  National  Guard. 


1815]     FLIGHT   OF  THE   DUG   DE   FELTRE     245 

be  taken  and  I  had  the  command  I  should  never 
trouble  Alexander  nor  anybody  else,  but  take  him 
by  the  Drum  head,  giving  something  like  the  sort 
of  trial  the  Due  d'Enghien  had  and  immediately 
extinguish  him  by  exactly  the  same  process,  cere- 
mony, &c.,  as  he  practised  on  the  Due  d'Enghien. 

After  all,  and  the  worst  of  all,  is  that  I  apprehend 
we  must  pay  the  piper  to  enable  the  above-men- 
tioned Hordes  to  take  possession  of  France,  and 
when  there  I  flatter  myself  they  will  live  upon  the 
country.  If  we  do  not  make  some  effort  of  the 
kind,  all  the  money  we  have  shed  may  be  in  a  great 
degree  thrown  away.  One  great  difficulty  occurs 
to  me,  how  will  it  be  possible  to  dispose  of  the 
present  French  Army  if  it  should  be  conquered, 
and  how  raise  a  French  Army  to  maintain  Louis's 
dominion  ? 

If  Napoleon  should  be  utterly  extinguished,  it 
may  be  possible  to  do  something,  but  if  he  escapes 
(yet  I  know  not  where  he  can  go)  a  large  foreign 
Army  must  remain  a  long  time  in  France. 

I  must  conclude  by  observing  what  a  very  extra- 
ordinary, strange  creature  a  Frenchman  is!  Instead 
of  attending  the  King,  or  suppressing  Navy  Depots 
where  there  are  only  fifty  loyal  men,  the  Minister 
of  War  flies  to  England,  and,  as  he  represented,  in 
order  to  join  the  King  in  Flanders.  At  Paris 
he  was  certainly  nearer  Flanders  than  he  was  at 
Dieppe.  .  .  . 

Yours  ever, 

SHEFFIELD. 


246       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

The  Victory  of  Waterloo  ended  all  fears  of  a 
fresh  Imperial  Despotism,  and  also  all  the  hopes  ol 
those  who,  like  Lord  Sheffield  and  the  Stanley 
family,  were  no  great  admirers  of  the  Bourbon 
Dynasty. 

Edward  Stanley's  desire  to  revisit  France  was 
now  coupled  with  a  wish  to  realise  the  scene  of 
the  late  Campaign,  and  he  planned  his  journey 
so  as  to  arrive  there  on  the  first  anniversary  of 
the  battle,  June  18,  1816. 

He  was  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Stanley,  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Edward  Leycester  Penrhyn,1  who 
had  travelled  with  him  in  1814,  and  by  their 
mutual  friend,  Donald  Crawford. 

Mrs.  Stanley's  bright  and  graphic  letters  con- 
tribute to  the  story  of  their  adventures,  and  are 
added  to  make  it  complete. 

1  Edward  Leycester  had  inherited  in  December,  1815,  the 
fortune  of  his  cousin,  Lady  Penrhyn,  who  directed  in  her  will 
that  he  should  assume  the  name  of  Penrhyn.  He  married,  in 
1823,  Lady  Charlotte  Stanley,  daughter  of  the  i4th  Earl  of  Derby. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AFTER  WATERLOO 

A  long  Channel  passage  —  Bruges  —  The    battlefield  —  A  posting 
journey  —  Compiegne  —  Paris  —  Michael  Bruce. 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

Spring,  1816. 

.  .  .  Edward  has  long  talked  of  a  week  at 
Waterloo,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  plan  came 
tumbling  after  one  day  in  talking  it  over  with 
Edward  Leycester,  as  naturally  as  possible,  and  I 
expect  almost  as  much  pleasure  in  seeing  Cam- 
bridge and  being  introduced  to  the  looks  and 
manners  at  least  of  E.  L.'s  friends,  and  in  seeing 
him  there  as  in  anything  else.  We  are  to  pay  a 
visit  to  Sir  George  and  Lady  Scovell  at  Cambray, 
and  perhaps  to  Sheffield  Place,  on  our  return.  .  . 


ST.  JOHN'S  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE, 

June^  1816. 

I  am  very  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  of  seeing 
what  a  college  life  is,  as  well  as  seeing  Cambridge 

247 


248       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

itself  and  its  contents  animate  and  inanimate.  I 
like  both  very  much. 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  journey.  The  road  is 
not  only  prettier  by  Ashbourne  and  Derby,  but 
better,  and,  provided  your  nerves  can  stand  canter- 
ing down  hill  sometimes,  you  get  on  faster  than 
on  the  other  road.  We  drank  tea  at  Nottingham 
on  Monday  and  went  up  to  the  Castle. 

We  arrived  at  Cambridge  by  6  o'clock  on  Tuesday 
evening,  and  found  Edward  deep  in  his  studies.  .  .  . 

This  morning  we  breakfasted  with  George,1  and, 
after  seeing  libraries  and  people  and  buildings  till 
I  am  tired,  here  I  am,  snug  and  comfortable,  in 
Edward's  room.  .  .  . 

We  are  off  to-morrow  for  London. 

Mrs,  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Josepha  Stanley. 

BLENHEIM  HOTEL,  LONDON, 

Saturday. 

As  we  were  coming  yesterday  Edward  looked  at 
the  wind  and  decided  that  if  Donald  was  not  in  the 
Thames  then,  he  would  have  no  chance  of  being 
here  this  week.  We  had  not  been  here  an  hour 
when  in  he  walked  in  high  feather  and  gave  me 
more  reasons  than  I  can  remember  for  leaving  his 
sisters  and  going  with  us.  ... 

I  have  been  to  Waterloo2  and  in  Buonaparte's 
carriage.  He  has  given  an  alarm  by  writing  to 
France  in  spite  of  all  their  precautions.  .  .  .  We 

1  Lord  Pevensey,  son  of  Earl  of  Sheffield. 

2  Panorama  by  Barker,  shown  in  London. 


1816]          START  FROM  CANTERBURY  249 

have  got  our  passports  and  arranged  our  going. 
Edward  came  back  from  the  city  with  three  plans — 
the  steamboat,  the  packet,  or  a  coach  to  ourselves 
to  Ramsgate.  We  debated  the  three  some  time,  at 
last,  on  the  strength  of  hearing  that  the  steamboat 
had  been  out  two  nights  on  its  passage  once,  we 
decided  on  the  coach,  and  the  places  were  just 
secured  when  Mr.  Foljambe  came  in  and  told  us  he 
was  going  to  Ramsgate  on  Tuesday  with  some  other 
friends  of  Edward's,  and  that  it  was  the  nicest  vessel 
ever  seen  and  more  punctual  than  any  coach,  which 
made  us  all  very  angry  as  you  may  guess.  .  .  . 
We  set  out  to-morrow  morning  and  get  into  the 
packet  at  Ramsgate  at  7  in  the  evening.  Let  me 
find  a  nice  folio  at  Paris,  care  of  Perrigaux,  Banquier, 
and  I  shall  not  feel  your  handwriting  the  least 
interesting  thing  I  have  to  see  there. 


Rev.    E.    Stanley   to    his   niece,    Louisa    Dorothea 

Stanley. 

RAMSGATE,  June  \ith. 

Rapidly  went  the  coach  from  Canterbury,  17 
miles  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  Fair  blows  the  wind 
over  the  azure  blue  billow.  "You  will  breakfast 
at  Ostend,"  says  the  Captain,  "to-morrow."  "Oh, 
that  Louisa  were  here ! "  says  Donald.  "  She 
would  die  of  delight,"  says  Uncle,  "and  does  not 
Uncle  say  true  ? "  Conceive  the  view  from 
Nottingham  Castle  on  the  evening  we  left  Alderley 
...  a  noble  precipice,  frowning  over  a  magnificent 


250       BEFORE  AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

plain,  from  the  terraces  of  which  we  beheld 
immediately  at  our  feet  almost  numberless — for  I 
counted  in  a  second  54 — little  pets  of  gardens, 
each  adorned  with  a  love  of  a  summerhouse  to 
suit ;  in  the  corners  of  the  rocks  many  excavations 
and  caverns  fancifully  cut  out  and  carved,  into 
which  each  of  the  proprietors  of  the  above-mentioned 
gardens  might  at  leisure  retire  and  become  his  own 
hermit.  Then  how  shall  I  touch  upon  the  delights 
of  Cambridge  ?  How  shall  I  speak  of  Edward's 
beauty  in  his  cap,  all  covered  with  little  bows,  and  a 
smart  black  gown  ?  And  how  shall  I  speak  of  his 
dinner  and  his  party  ?  Such  merriment !  Such 
hospitality!  Only  think,  Louisa,  of  dining,  break- 
fasting and  supping  day  after  day  with  14  or  15 
most  accomplished,  beautiful,  and  entertaining  young 
gentlemen !  But  no  more,  lest  you  expire  at  the 
thought !  As  for  London,  I  cannot  well  tell  you 
what  I  did  or  saw,  such  a  confused  multiplicity  of 
sights  and  succession  of  business  have  seldom  been 
experienced.  At  6  this  morning  we  started  in  the 
stage  coach,  the  interior  of  which  we  took,  excluding 
all  intruders,  and  from  hence  at  3  o'clock  on  a  lovely 
night,  with  an  elegant  moon,  we  embarked  for 
Ostend. 

(Continued  by  Mrs.  Stanley.) 

I  have  persuaded  Uncle  to  carry  his  letter  over 
the  water  that  you  may  not  have  the  anxiety  of 
thinking  for  2  days  about  the  passage,  which  a 
gentleman  who  dined  with  us  to-day  informed  us 


1816]          BECALMED   IN   THE   DOWNS  251 

was  the  most  precarious,  dangerous,  and  uncertain 
known. 

But  I  consoled  myself  with  not  believing  the 
gentleman  in  the  first  place,  and  by  thinking  with 
Aunt  Clinton  that  as  Mrs.  Carleton  was  drowned  so 
lately  at  Ostend,  it  is  not  likely  another  accident 
should  happen  at  present. 

Here  we  are,  waiting  for  the  awful  moment  of 
embarkation,  which  I  consider  something  like  having 
a  tooth  out,  but  I  live  in  hopes  that,  having  been  up 
early  this  morning  and  had  10  hours'  jumbling,  I 
may  be  sleepy  enough  to  forget  that  I  am  on  a 
shelf  instead  of  a  bed;  so  I  have  been  just  to  admire 
the  moon  as  we  sail  out  of  harbour,  and  then  go 
to  bed  and  find  myself  in  sight  of  Ostend  when 
I  awake. 

(E.  Stanley  resumes  next  day.} 

A  dead  calm  succeeded  to  a  gentle  breeze,  and  on 
the  soft,  sleepy  billows  we  have  reposed  in  the 
Downs,  rolling  ever  since.  To  comfort  us  we  have 
a  beautiful  Packet  and  a  limited  number  of 
passengers. 

The  discomfort  consists  in  a  rapid  diminution  of 
all  our  provisions  and  the  consequent  prospect  of 
no  Tea,  supper,  or  breakfast,  or  dinner  to-morrow. 
One  sailor  said  to  another  as  he  was  skinning  some 
miserable  fish,  "Aye,  aye,  they"  (meaning  the 
passengers)  "  will  be  glad  enough  of  these  in  a  day 
or  two,  and  I  was  eleven  days  becalmed  last  year." 

Kitty,  to  fill  up  an  hour  of  vacuity,  said  she  would 


252        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

draw,  and  to  fill  up  my  time  this  testifies  that  I 
have  been  thinking  of  you  and  wishing  for  your 
presence,  for  the  Novelty  alone  would  keep  you 
in  full  effervesence  and  banish  all  Tediosity. 

I  have,  moreover,  been  playing  with  a  sweet  little 
French  dog  brought  by  one  of  the  sailors  from 
Boulogne.  The  sailors  have  daily  given  him  two 
glasses  of  gin  to  check  his  growth,  and  a  marvellous 
dog  of  Lilliput  he  is  !  Pray,  my  dear  Lou,  drink 
no  gin,  for  you  see  the  consequences. 

I  had  retired  to  bed,  when  Edward  Leycester 
called  me  up  to  admire  a  beautiful  display  of 
Neptune's  fireworks ;  wherever  the  surface  of  the 
waves  was  agitated,  the  circles  of  silver  flashed 
and  the  drops  were  scattered  far  and  wide. 

The  morning  dawned  upon  us  nearly  in  the  same 
position,  not  a  breath  troubled  the  surface,  smooth 
and  still  as  Radnor  Mere  on  the  sweetest  evening. 

Famine  began  to  stare  us  in  the  face  ;  our  pro- 
visions were  nearly  exhausted  ;  two  or  more  days 
might  elapse  before  we  reached  Ostend. 

We  breakfasted  on  tea,  fried  skate  and  cheese. 
Breakfast  at  an  end,  it  was  proposed  to  board  the 
nearest  vessel  and  beg  or  borrow  a  dinner.  In  the 
tide  course  appeared  a  sail,  about  five  miles  distant. 

The  boat  was  lowered,  volunteers  stepped 
forward — Uncle,  Edward,  Donald,  and  a  gentle- 
manlike Belgian. 

Away  we  went  and  by  hard  rowing  we  came 
alongside  the  strange  sail  in  an  hour.  Three  leaden 
figures,  motionless  as  the  unwieldly  bark  they 


1816]  A  DUTCH   FAMILY  PARTY  253 

manned,  gazed  curiously  upon  our  approaching 
boat.  Our  Belgian  friend  hailed,  but  hailed  in  vain. 
They  looked  but  spoke  not.  Again  he  spoke,  and 
at  length  a  monotonous  "yaw"  proclaimed  that 
they  were  not  dumb. 

We  went  on  board  and  found  a  perfect  Dutch 
family  on  their  way  from  Antwerp  to  Rouen.  Out 
stepped  from  her  cabin  the  Captain's  wife  in 
appropriate  costume,  her  close  little  cap,  large  gold 
necklace  and  ear-rings ;  and  behind  the  Captain's 
spouse  stepped  forth  two  genuine  descendants  of 
the  nautical  couple.  Large  round  heads  with  large 
round  (what  shall  I  say?)  Hottentots  to  match 
and  keep  up  the  due  balance  between  head  and 
tail. 

Having  explained  our  wants  to  the  Captain,  he 
produced  as  the  chief  restorative  an  incomparable 
bottle  of  Schiedam,  i.e..  gin.  To  each  he  offered  a 
good  large  glass,  and  then  in  answer  to  our  request 
for  beef,  four  bottles  of  excellent  claret,  two  square 
loaves.  For  this  he  asked  a  guinea,  upon  receiving 
which  his  features  relaxed  and  he  declared  we  should 
have  two  more  bottles  of  claret.  Upon  hearing  we 
had  a  lady  in  the  packet  he  begged  her  acceptance 
of  half  a  neat's  tongue,  some  butter,  and  a  bag  of 
rusks.  Loaded  with  them,  we  took  a  joyful  leave  of 
these  sombre  sailors  and  returned,  with  the  orange 
cravat  of  our  Belgian  friend  for  a  flag,  in  triumph 
to  the  packet. 

But  a  truce  to  my  pen.  Ostend  is  in  sight,  and 
now  we  are  all  rubbing  our  hands  and  congratulating 


254        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

each  other  that  wind  and  tide  are  in  our  favour  and 
that  we  shall  be  in  in  a  couple  of  hours. 

Rev.  E.  Stanley  to  his  niece,  Isabella  Stanley.1 

BRUGES,  June  14,  1816. 

On  our  return  from  the  Dutch  vessel  from  which 
we  recruited  our  exhausted  store,  we  found  our 
poor  Captain  in  sad  tribulation,  his  patience  ex- 
hausted, but  his  temper  luckily  preserved.  Having 
paced  his  deck  with  a  fidgeting  velocity  a  due 
number  of  times,  peeped  thro'  his  glass  at  every 
distant  sail  or  cloud  to  observe  whether  they  were 
in  any  degree  movable,  and  invoked  Boreas  in  the 
most  pitiable  terms  such  as  "  Oh  Borus !  Now 
do,  good  Borus  just  give  us  a  blow,"  we  had  the 
satisfaction  at  length,  the  supreme  satisfaction, 
of  perceiving  a  gentle  curl  upon  the  water  which 
soon  settled  into  a  steady  breeze,  before  which  we 
glided  away,  delightfully  enjoying  our  dinner  upon 
the  deck,  during  which  our  party  manifested  their 
respective  characters  in  most  charming  style.  One 
Farmer  Dinmont 2  and  Dousterswivel,  a  Dutch- 
man, were  perfect  specimens.  A  merry  Belgian 
Equerry  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  laughed,  joked,  and 
amused  us  with  sleight-of-hand  tricks.  Our  Dutch 
beef,  tho'  doubtless  salt  far  beyond  due  proportion, 
was  relished  by  all,  Dinmont  excepted,  who  pro- 
nounced it,  together  with  the  dark-coloured  bread, 
unfit  for  English  hogs,  and  shook  his  head  with 

1  Married  Sir  Edward  Parry,  K.C.B.,  the  Arctic  navigator,  1826. 

2  Allusions  to  the  characters  in  "  Guy  Mannering." 


1816]  LANDING  AT  OSTEND  255 

a    most    significant    expression    of   doubt    at    my 
assertion  that   I  never  enjoyed  a  better  dinner  in 
my  life.     At  five  o'clock  the  low  sand  hills  appeared 
to   view    in    little    nodules  upon  the   horizon,  and 
the    Steeple  of    Ostend  with  its   Lighthouse  were 
visible  from  deck.     At  6   we  were    close    in  upon 
land,  and  in  half  an  hour  were  boarded  by  a  Dutch 
boat,  but  alas  !  there  was  nothing  in  its  appearance 
to  excite  curiosity,  and  with  the  exception  of  large 
earrings  you  might  have  fancied  yourself  in  Holy- 
head  Harbour.     Four  stout,   tall  fellows,  hard  and 
resolute    in     feature   and   decided   in   action,    pro- 
claimed their  near  alliance    to   British  Jack  Tars. 
They    remained   a  little  while  and  tried  to   cheat 
the  passengers  as  much  as  possible,  to  take  us  on 
shore,  but  finding  us  determined  to  remain  till  the 
Captain  could  get  his  own  boat  ready,  they  shrugged 
their   shoulders,    abused    us    in    Dutch,  and  sailed 
away.     We  were  too  many  for  one  boat,  so  taking 
Kitty  and  the  best  of  our  English  passengers  and 
honest  Farmer  Dinmont,  with  all  the  luggage,  we 
pushed   off  from    the    vessel.     People   of    all    de- 
scriptions, pilots,  sailors,  customs  officers,   soldiers, 
waiters  soliciting  customs  for  their  respective  turns. 
Porters  regular  and  irregular,  the  latter  consisting 
of  a  sort  of  light    Infantry  corps  of  ragged  boys. 
All  these  people,  I  say,  were  crowded  together  on 
a   little   peninsular  jetty   against   which    our   boat 
was  shoved,  and    no   sooner   had  the  oars   ceased 
to  play  and  our  keel  cleared  the  sand  than  all  these 
people  set  up  their  pipes  in  every  dialect  of  every 


256       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

tongue,  French  and  English  both  bad  of  their 
sort,  Dutch  high  and  low,  Flemish  and  German. 
All  burst  upon  us  at  one  and  the  same  moment,  and 
the  Cossack  corps  of  ragged  porters  all  stept 
forward,  arm,  leg  and  foot,  to  claim  the  honour 
of  carrying  up  (most  probably  of  carrying  off)  our 
baggage.  By  dint  of  words  fair  and  foul,  a  shove 
here  and  a  push  there,  I  contrived  to  get  Kitty 
under  my  arm  and  superintend,  tho'  with  no  small 
trouble  and  inconceivable  watchfulness,  the  adjust- 
ment of  our  small  portmanteaux,  writing  case,  &c., 
in  a  wheelbarrow,  which,  from  its  formidable  length 
of  handle,  bespoke  its  foreign  manufacturer.  On 
we  jogged,  but  jogged  not  long ;  for  before  this 
accumulating  procession  could  disperse  we  were 
arrested  by  a  whiskered  soldier,  who  in  unin- 
telligible terms  announced  himself  a  searcher  of 
baggage.  So  to  the  custom  house  we  went,  when 
each  trunk  was  opened  and  submitted  to  a  slight 
inspection  ;  the  chief  difficulty  consisting  in  putting 
myself  in  2  places  at  once — one  close  to  the  depot 
of  our  goods  in  the  barrow,  the  other  before 
the  officer  with  the  keys.  Kitty  was  wedged  in 
a  corner  with  a  writing  case  and,  I  think,  Donald's 
sword.  My  English  companion  was  equally  on  the 
alert,  but  Farmer  Dinmont  would  have  excited 
all  your  compassion,  or  rather  admiration ;  for  here 
amidst  the  din  of  tongues  and  arms,  unable  to  move 
hand  or  foot,  he  stood  with  a  smile  of  mingled 
resignation  and  wonder  ;  at  length,  the  search  being 
concluded  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties,  we 


1816]  CURIOUS  COSTUMES  257 

re-commenced  our  course,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
Kitty  found  herself  in  a  new  world.  Women  and 
children  unlike  any  women  and  children  you  ever 
saw ;  close  caps  with  butterfly  wings  for  the  former, 
little  black  skull  bonnets  for  the  latter,  in  shape 
both  alike,  much  resembling  those  toys  which, 
if  placed  on  their  heads,  by  their  superior  specific 
gravity  and  extensive  sacrifice  of  their  lower  pro- 
jections instantly  revolve  and  settle  upon  their 
tails. 

"  Voici,  Messieurs  et  Madame,  entrons  dans  la 
Cour  Imperiale,"  and  another  moment  hoisted  us 
within  the  covered  gateway  of  this  Hotel  of 
Imperial  appellation.  Our  arrangements  for  sleep- 
ing and  eating  being  complete,  we  sat  down  on 
a  bench  before  the  door  to  gaze,  but  not  to  be 
gazed  upon,  for  the  good  people  never  cast  an 
eye  upon  us.  On  retiring  to  tea,  good  Farmer 
Dinmont's  countenance  relaxed  as  he  flung  himself 
into  a  chair ;  he  put  his  hands  upon  the  table  and 
exclaimed,  "  Well,  well,  here  I  am  sitting  down  for 
the  first  time  out  of  Old  England  ! "...  A  cup 
of  tea,  or  rather  a  kettle  full,  for  our  salt  beef  had 
kindled  an  insatiable  thirst,  put  him  in  good  humour 
again,  and,  but  for  a  sort  of  sigh  or  a  look  or 
a  jerk  which  proved  Old  England  to  be  uppermost 
in  his  thoughts,  he  appeared  quite  satisfied.  With 
some  trouble  Kitty  secured  the  fly  cap  chambermaid 
and  had  taken  possession  of  her  room  ;  having  seen 
her  safe,  I  descended  to  give  orders  for  a  warming- 
pan,  leaving  her  (after  having  been  2  nights  in 

17 


258        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

her  clothes)  to  the  luxury  of  an  entire  change  of 
linen  and  course  of  ablutions.  On  re-crossing  the 
court  10  minutes  afterwards  I  ran  against  a  waiter 
running  off  with  a  warming-pan,  glowing  with  red- 
hot  embers.  "  Mais  don$  "  said  I,  "  Madame  wants 
a  warming-pan.  Allons,  where  is  the  chambermaid 
to  carry  it?"  "Oh,  n'importe,"  replied  this  flying 
Mercury  ;  "  c'est  moi  qui  fera  cela  pour  la  dame  !  " 
Only  guess  Kitty's  escape !  Another  moment  and 
he  would  have  been  in  her  presence,  warming-pan 
and  all.  By  dint  of  remonstrating  I  checked  his 
course  and  prevailed  upon  the  Maid  to  go  herself 
with  vast  ill  humour,  innumerable  shrugs,  and  some 
few  "  Mon  Dieu's  "  and  other  suitable  expressions. 
Kitty  must  herself  be  the  interpreter  of  her  own 
feelings  in  these  lands  of  novelty.  I  am  almost 
glad  you  were,  none  of  you,  here  to  witness 
what  she  will  have  such  pleasure  in  describing. 
Our  morning  passed  away  in  strolling  over  the 
town.  Kitty  and  I  dined  at  the  table  d'hote  with 
about  20  people.  Farmer  Dinmont  sent  for  a  bottle 
of  the  best  wine  to  try  it  and  offered  me  a  glass. 
I  begged  to  propose  a  toast,  "  Prosperity  to  Old 
England."  His  features  brightened  up,  he  grasped 
the  bottle,  filled  a  bumper,  and  replied,  "  Aye,  aye, 
with  all  my  heart ;  that  Toast  I  would  drink  in  ditch 
water."  We  left  Ostend  at  3  o'clock  to  take 
passage  in  the  Bruges  canal,  and  I  do  assure  you 
we  all  felt  quite  sorry  to  leave  our  dear,  good,  honest 
John  Bull. 

At  Saas   we   fell   in   with   a   specimen  of  Lord 


1816]  TO   BRUGES   ON   A  BARGE  259 

Wellington's  operations.  There  is  a  formidable 
battery  erected  last  year  by  way  of  guarding  Ostend 
from  a  "  coup  de  main " ;  it  is  singular  that  the 
English  have  placed  a  Battery  for  the  defence 
close  to  the  celebrated  sluice  gates  of  this  canal, 
which  gates  were  blown  up  by  Sir  Evelyn  Coote 
to  prevent  the  French  from  inundating  the  country, 
when  he  invaded  it  some  years  before. 

Behold  us  seated  in  a  spacious  room,  for  it  does 
not  deserve  the  diminutive  name  of  "  Cabin," 
decorated  with  hangings  of  green  cloth  and  gold 
border,  on  board  a  most  commodious  barge.  Behold 
us  on  a  lovely  evening  starting  from  the  Quay  with 
full  sail  and  3  horses,  a  man  mounted  on  one 
and  cracking  a  great  long  whip  to  drive  on  the 
other  two,  which  trotted  away  abreast  at  the  rate 
of  4^  miles  an  hour.  Behold  us  seated  on  this  easy 
chair  of  Neptune !  our  ears  deafened  and  our  spirits 
enlivened  by  a  band  of  music — trumpet,  violin,  and 
bass — admirably  playing  Waltzes  and  other  national 
tunes.  When  they  had  amused  us  on  deck  they 
went  below  to  another  class  of  auditors.  Our 
fellow  traveller,  Mr.  Trueman,  followed  them,  and 
perceiving  him  to  be  English  they  struck  up  "  God 
save  the  King."  A  Frenchman  called  out  "  Ba, 
ba,"  a  very  expressive  mode  of  communicating 
disapprobation,  but  seeing  Trueman  was  of  a 
different  opinion,  he  ceased  from  his  "  Ba,  ba,"  and 
stepping  towards  him  made  him  a  low  bow.  About 
6  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Bruges,  or  rather  to  the  wharf 
from  whence  passengers  betake  themselves  and 


260        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

portmanteaux  to  barrows  and  sledges.  As  we 
approached  our  Band  resumed  their  musical  exer- 
tions. A  crowd  assembled  to  welcome  our  arrival, 
Gigs,  coaches  (such  coaches ! ! ),  Horsemen  (such 
Horsemen  ! ! ),  were  parading.  Such  a  light  with 
such  a  rainbow  shone  upon  such  an  avenue  and  such 
picturesque  gate  ! !  Our  baggage  filled  a  car  drawn 
by  3  stout  men ;  and  we  all  followed  in  the  rear. 
Bruges  is  a  town  affording-  five  or  six  volumes 

o  o 

of  sketches  ;  towers,  roofs,  gable  ends,  bridges — all  in 
succession  called  for  exclusive  admiration.  It  was 
decided  that  we  should  rise  at  4,  breakfast  at 
6,  and  see  all  that  was  possible  before  9,  when 
we  were  to  continue  our  route  to  Ghent.  At  3 
o'clock  I  was  prepared,  but  a  steady  rain  forced  me 
reluctantly  to  bed  again,  but  we  did  breakfast  at  6, 
and  did  pick  up  two  or  three  sketches. 

Mrs.  E.   Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  J.  Stanley. 

BRUSSELS,  June  18,  1816. 

On  the  1 8th  of  June,  how  can  I  begin  with  any 
other  subject  than  Waterloo  ?  .  .  .  At  8  this  morning 
we  mounted  our  Cabriolets  for  Waterloo.  Donald 
put  on  his  Waterloo  medal  for  the  first  time,  and  a 
French  shirt  he  got  in  the  spoils,  and  a  cravat  of  an 
officer  who  was  killed,  and  I  wrapped  myself  in  his 
Waterloo  cloak,  and  we  all  felt  the  additional  sensa- 
tion which  the  anniversary  of  the  day  produced  on 
everybody.  It  brought  the  comparison  of  the  past 
and  present  day  more  perfectly  home.  Donald  was 


1816]  THE  FOREST   OF  SOIGNIES  261 

ready  with  his  recollections  every  minute  of  the  day, 
what  had  been  his  occupation  or  his  feeling.  The 
forest  of  Soignies  is  a  fine  approach  to  the  field  of 
battle — dark,  damp,  and  melancholy.  If  you  had 
heard  nothing  about  it,  you  could  hardly  help  feel- 
ing, in  passing  through  it,  that  you  would  not  like 
to  cross  it  alone.  There  are  no  fine  trees,  but  the 
extent  and  depth  of  wood  gives  it  all  the  effect  of  a 
fine  one,  and  an  effect  particularly  suited  to  the 
associations  connected  with  it.  The  road — a 
narrow  pavement  in  the  middle  with  black  mud  on 
each  side — looks  as  if  it  had  never  felt  a  ray  of  sun, 
and  from  its  state  to-day  gave  me  a  good  idea  of 
what  it  must  have  been.  Sometimes  the  road  is 
raised  thro'  a  deep  hollow,  and  it  was  not  possible 
to  look  down  without  shuddering  at  the  idea  of  the 
horses  and  carriages  and  men  which  had  been  over- 
turned one  upon  another ;  in  some  parts  the  trees 
are  a  la  Ralph  Leycester,  and  you  see  the  dark 
black  of  shade  of  the  distant  wood  through  them  ; 
but  in  other  parts  it  is  so  choked  with  brushwood 
and  inequalities  of  ground,  that  you  could  not  see 
two  yards  before  you,  and  no  gorge  was  ever  so 
good  a  cover  for  foxes  as  this  for  all  evil-disposed 
persons.  At  Waterloo  we  stopped  to  see  the 
Church,  or  rather  the  monuments  in  it,  put  up  by 
the  different  regiments  over  their  fallen  officers. 
They  are  all  badly  designed  and  executed  but  one 
Latin  one — not  half  so  good  as  the  epitaph  on  Lord 
Anglesey's  leg  which  the  man  had  buried  with  the 
utmost  veneration  in  his  garden  and  planted  a  tree 


262        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

over  it ;  and  he  shows  as  a  relic  almost  as  precious 
as  a  Catholic  bit  of  bone  or  blood,  the  blood  upon  a 
chair  in  the  room  when  the  leg  was  cut  off,  which 
he  had  promised  my  lord  "  de  ne  jamais  effacer" 

At  Mont  St.  Jean  Donald  began  to  know  where 
he  was.  Here  he  found  the  well  where  he  had  got 
some  water  for  his  horse  ;  here  the  green  pond  he 
had  fixed  upon  as  the  last  resource  for  his  troop ; 
here  the  cottage  where  he  had  slept  on  the  i7th  ; 
here  the  breach  he  had  made  in  the  hedge  for  his 
horses  to  get  into  the  field  to  bivouac  ;  here  the 
spot  where  he  had  fired  the  first  gun  ;  here  the  hole 
in  which  he  sat  for  the  surgeon  to  dress  his  wound. 
He  had  never  been  on  the  field  since  the  day  of  the 
battle,  and  his  interest  in  seeing  it  again  and  dis- 
covering every  spot  under  its  altered  circumstances 
was  fully  as  great  as  ours. 

After  all  that  John  Scott l  or  Walter  Scott  or 
anybody  can  describe  or  even  draw,  how  much 
more  clear  and  satisfactory  is  the  conception  which 
one  single  glance  over  the  reality  gives  you  in  an 
instant,  than  any  you  can  form  from  the  best  and 
most  elaborate  description  that  can  be  given  !  To 
see  it  in  perfection  would  be  to  have  an  officer  of 
every  regiment  to  give  you  an  account  just  of  every- 
thing he  saw  and  did  on  the  particular  spot  where 
he  was  stationed. 

Donald  scarcely  knew  as  much  as  Edward  did  or 
as  the  people  about  of  what  passed  anywhere  but 
iust  at  his  own  station.     But  at  every  place  it  was 
1  John  Scott,  painter,  1774-1828. 


1816]  THE   BRITISH  POSITION  263 

sufficient  to  ask  the  inhabitants  where  they  were 
and  what  they  saw,  to  obtain  interesting  information. 
Every  plan  I  have  seen  makes  it  much  too 
irregular,  rough  ground  ;  it  is  all  undulating,  smooth 
ups  and  downs,  so  gradual  that  you  must  look  some 
time  before  you  discover  all  the  irregularity  there 
is.  Hougoumont J  is  the  only  interesting  point,  and 
that  by  having  an  air  of  peace  and  retirement  about 
it  most  opposite  to  what  took  place  in  it. 

It  is  a  respectable,  picturesque  farmhouse,  with 
pretty  trees  and  sweet  fields  all  around  it ;  the 
ravages  are  not  repaired  and  many  of  the  trees  cut 
down.  We  left  our  carriages  in  the  road  and 
walked  all  over  the  British  position,  and  hencefor- 
ward I  shall  have  a  clearer  idea,  not  only  of 
Waterloo,  but  of  what  a  military  position  and 
military  plan  is  like. 

At  La  Belle  Alliance  we  sat  upon  a  bench  where 
Lord  Wellington  and  Bliicher  perhaps  met,  and 
drank  to  their  healths  in  Vin  de  Bordeaux.  In 
spite  of  the  corn,  there  are  still  bits  of  leather  caps 
and  bullets  and  bones  scattered  about  in  the  fields, 
and  you  are  pestered  with  children  innumerable 
with  relics  of  all  sorts.  We  had  heard  magnificent 
accounts  on  our  road  here  of  all  that  was  to  be 
done  on  the  field,  balls,  fetes,  sham  fights,  proces- 
sions, and  I  do  not  know  what,  but  they  have  all 
dwindled  to  a  dinner  given  here  to  the  Belgian 
soldiers  and  a  Mass  to  be  said  for  the  souls  of  the 

1  Hougoumont  was  occupied  by  Byng's  Brigade,  and  resisted 
the  repeated  attacks  of  the  French  throughout  the  battle. 


264        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

dead  to-morrow.  However,  we  saw  what  we 
wished  as  we  wished,  and  the  impression  is  per- 
haps clearer  than  if  it  had  been  disturbed  and 
mixed  with  other  sights. 

And  now,  being  near  12,  and  I  having  walked 
about  8  miles,  and  been  up  since  6,  must  go  to  bed, 
though  I  feel  neither  sleepy  nor  tired. 


To  Lucy  Stanley. 

June  24,  1816. 

.  .  .  Away  with  me  to  Waterloo  ! 

We  arrived  at  Brussels  on  the  evening  of  the 
1 7th,  and  at  seven  o'clock  started  for  the  scene  of 
action.  From  Brussels  a  paved  road,  with  a  carriage 
track  on  each  side,  passes  for  nine  miles  to  the  village 
of  Waterloo. 

The  Forest  (of  Soignies)  is,  without  exception, 
one  of  the  most  cut-throat-looking  spots  I  ever 
beheld,  .  .  .  and  for  some  days  after  the  battle 
deserters  and  stragglers,  chiefly  Prussians,  took  up 
their  abode  in  this  appropriate  place,  and  sallying 
forth,  robbed,  plundered,  and  often  shot  those  who 
were  unfortunate  enough  to  travel  alone  or  in  small 
defenceless  parties. 

After  traversing  this  gloomy  avenue  for  about 
four  miles,  the  first  symptoms  of  war  met  our  eyes 
in  the  shape  of  a  dead  horse,  whose  ribs  glared  like 
a  cheval-de-frise  from  a  tumulus  of  mud.  If  the 
ghosts  of  the  dead  haunt  these  sepulchral  groves, 
we  must  have  passed  through  an  army  of  spirits,  as 


1816]  PEACEFUL  HOUGOUMONT  265 

our  driver,  who  had  visited  the  scene  three  days 
after  the  battle,  described  the  last  four  miles  as  a 
continued  pavement  of  men  and  horses  dying  and 
dead. 

At  length  a  dome  appears  at  the  termination  of 
the  avenue.  It  is  the  church  of  Waterloo.  They 
were  preparing  for  a  mass  and  procession,  and  the 
houses  were  most  of  them  adorned  with  festoons  of 
flowers  or  branches  of  trees.  .  .  . 

.  .  .  We  turned  to  the  right  down  the  Nivelle  road, 
for  it  was  there  Donald's  gun  was  placed,  and  some 
labourers  who  were  ploughing  on  the  spot  brought 
us  some  iron  shot  and  fragments  of  shell  which  they 
had  just  turned  up.  The  hedges  were  still  tolerably 
sprinkled  with  bits  of  cartridge-paper,  and  remnants 
of  hats,  caps,  straps,  and  shoes  were  discernible  all 
over  the  plains.  Hougoumont  was  a  heap  of  ruins, 
for  it  had  taken  fire  during  the  action,  and  presented 
a  very  perfect  idea  of  the  fracas  which  had  taken 
place  that  day  year.  How  different  now !  A  large 
flock  of  sheep,  with  their  shepherd,  were  browsing 
at  the  gate,  and  the  larks  were  singing  over  its 
ruins  on  one  of  the  sweetest  days  we  could  have 
chosen  for  the  visit.  As  I  was  taking  a  sketch  in 
a  quiet  corner  I  heard  a  vociferation  so  loud,  so 
vehement,  and  so  varied,  that  I  really  thought  two 
or  three  people  were  quarrelling  close  to  me.  In  a 
moment  the  vociferator  (for  it  was  but  one)  appeared 
at  my  elbow  with  an  explosion  of  French  oaths  and 
gesticulations  equal  to  any  discharge  of  grape-shot 
on  the  day  of  attack.  "  Comment,  Monsieur,"  said 


I,  "What  is  the  matter?"  "Oh,  les  coquins  !  les 
sacres  coquins "  and  away  he  went,  abusing  the 
coquins  in  so  ambiguous  a  style  that  I  doubted 
whether  his  wrath  was  venting  against  Napoleon  or 
against  his  opponents.  "Oui,"  remarked  I,  "  ils 
sont  coquins ;  et  Buonaparte,  que  pensez-vous  de 
lui  ?  "  This  was  a  sort  of  opening  which  I  trusted 
would  bring  him  to  the  point  without  a  previous 
committal  of  myself.  It  certainly  did  bring  him  to 
the  point,  for  he  gave  a  bounce  and  a  jump  and  his 
tongue  came  out,  and  his  mouth  foamed,  and  his 
eyes  rolled,  as  with  a  jerk  he  ejaculated,  "  Napoleon  ! 
qu'est-ce  que  je  pense  de  lui  ?  "  It  was  well  for 
poor  Napoleon  that  he  was  quiet  and  comfortable 
in  St.  Helena,  for  had  he  been  at  Hougoumont,  I 
am  perfectly  convinced  that  my  communicant  would 
have  sent  him  to  moulder  with  his  brethren  in  arms. 
Having  vented  his  rage,  I  asked  him  if  the  French 
had  ever  got  within  the  walls.  "  Yes,"  he  said, 
"  three  times  ;  but  they  were  always  repulsed  "  ;  he 
assured  me  he  had  been  there  during  the  attack  and 
that  he  saw  them  within ;  but  added,  "  How  they 
came  in  at  that  door"  (pointing  to  the  gate  by 
which  we  were  standing  and  which  was  drilled  with 
bullets),  "or  when  they  came  in,  or  how  or  where 
they  got  out  I  cannot  tell  you,  for  what  with  the 
noise,  and  the  fire,  and  the  smoke,  I  scarcely  knew 
where  I  was  myself. 

One  of  the  farm  servants  begged  me  to  observe 
the  chapel,  which  he  hinted  had  been  indebted  to 
a  miracle  for  its  safety,  and  certainly  as  a  good 


1816]  LA  BELLE  ALLIANCE  267 

Catholic  he  had  a  fair  foundation  for  his  belief,  as 
the  flames  had  merely  burnt  about  a  yard  of  the 
floor,  having  been  checked,  as  he  conceived,  by  the 
presence  of  the  crucifix  suspended  over  the  door, 
which  had  received  no  other  injury  than  the  loss  of 
part  of  its  feet.  He  had  remained  there  till  morn- 
ing, when,  seeing  the  French  advance  and  guessing 
their  drift,  he  contrived  to  make  good  his  escape, 
but  returned  the  following  day.  What  he  then  saw 
you  may  guess  when  I  tell  you  that  at  the  very 
door  I  stood  upon  a  mound  composed  of  earth  and 
ashes  upon  which  800  bodies  had  been  burnt. 
Every  tree  bore  marks  of  death,  and  every  ditch 
was  one  continued  grave. 

From  Hougoumont  we  walked  to  La  Belle 
Alliance,1  crossing  the  neutral  ground  between  the 
armies  ;  a  few  days  ago  a  couple  of  gold  watches 
had  been  found,  and  I  daresay  many  a  similar 
treasure  yet  remains.  At  La  Belle  Alliance,  a 
squalid  farm  house,  we  rested  to  take  some  refresh- 
ment. For  a  few  biscuits  and  a  bottle  of  common 
wine  the  woman  asked  us  five  francs,  which  being 
paid,  I  followed  her  into  the  house.  Not  perceiving 
me  at  the  door,  she  met  her  husband,  and  bursting 
into  a  loud  laugh,  with  a  fly-up  of  arms  and  legs 
(for  nothing  in  this  country  is  done  without  gesti- 
culation), she  exclaimed,  "  Only  think  !  ces  gens-li 
m'ont  donne"  cinq  francs."  In  this  miserable  pot- 
house did  the  possessor  find  280  wounded  wretches 

1  Napoleon's   army,  on   the  day  of  Waterloo,  occupied  the 
plateau  of  La  Belle  Alliance. 


268        BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 

jammed  together  and  weltering  in  blood  when  he 
returned  on  Monday  morning.  If  I  proceed  to 
more  particulars  I  foresee  I  should  fill  folios. 

I  must  carry  you  at  once  to  La  Haye  Sainte.1  It 
was  along  a  hedge  that  the  severest  work  took 
place ;  it  made  me  shudder  to  think  that  upon  a 
space  of  fifty  square  yards  4,000  bodies  were  found 
dead.  The  ditches  and  the  field  formed  one  great 
grave.  The  earth  told  in  very  visible  terms  what 
occasioned  its  elasticity ;  upon  forcing  a  stick  down 
and  turning  up  a  clod,  human  bodies  in  an  offensive 
state  of  decay  immediately  presented  themselves.  I 
found  four  Belgian  peasants  commenting  upon  one 
figure  which  was  scarcely  interred,  and  on  walking 
under  the  outer  wall  of  La  Haye  Sainte  a  hole  was 
tenanted  by  myriads  of  maggots  feasting  upon  a 
corpse. 

Here  stands  the  Wellington  tree,2  peppered  with 
shot  and  stripped  as  high  as  a  man  can  jump  of  its 
twigs  and  leaves,  for  every  passenger  jumps  up  for 
a  relic.  We  stood  upon  the  road  where  Buonaparte 
(defended  by  high  banks)  sent  on,  but  didrit  lead, 
6,000  of  his  old  Imperial  Guard.  They  charged 
along  the  road  up  to  La  Haye  Sainte,  dwindling  as 
they  went  by  the  incessant  fire  of  80  pieces  of 

1  A  farm  occupied  by  the  King's  German  Legion  under  Major 
Baring;  after  a  gallant    resistance  captured    by  the  French  at 
4  o'clock  on  June  i8th. 

2  Wellington  watched  the  battle  from  the  shade  of  an  elm-tree, 
which  was  afterwards  sold  to  an  Englishman,  who  made  the  wood 
into  boxes  and  sold  them  as  memorials. 


1816]  A   PLAGUE   OF   MICE  269 

Artillery,  many  of  them  within  a  few  yards,  till 
their  number  did  not  exceed  300.  Then  Napoleon 
turned  round  to  Bertrand,  lifted  his  hand,  cried  out, 
"  C'est  tout  perdu,  c'est  tout  fini,"  and  galloped  off 
with  La  Corte  and  Bertrand,1  quitting  most 
probably  for  ever  a  field  of  battle. 

A  continued  sheet  of  corn  or  fallowed  fields 
occupy  the  whole  plain.  The  crops  are  indifferent 
and  the  reason  assigned  is  curious.  The  whole 
being  trampled  down  last  year,  became  the  food  of 
mice,  which  in  consequence  repaired  thither  from 
all  quarters  and  increased  and  multiplied  to  such 
a  degree  that  the  soil  is  quite  infested  by 
them. 

Upon  the  heights  where  the  British  squares 
received  the  shock  of  the  French  Cavalry,  we 
found  an  English  officer's  cocked  hat,  much  injured 
apparently  by  a  cannon  shot,  with  its  oilskin 
rotting  away,  and  showing  by  its  texture,  shape, 
and  quality  that  it  had  been  manufactured  by  a 
fashionable  hatter,  and  most  probably  graced  the 
wearer's  head  in  Bond  Street  and  St.  James's. 
Wherever  we  went  we  were  surrounded  by  boys 
and  beggars  offering  Eagles  from  Frenchmen's 
helmets,  cockades,  pistols,  swords,  cuirasses,  and 
other  fragments. 

At  Brussels  they  gave  the  Belgian  troops  a 
dinner  in  a  long,  shady  avenue,  which  was  more 

1  General  Bertrand,  1773-1844;  fought  in  Egypt  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  Austerlitz  and  in  the  campaigns  of  Wagram 
and  Moscow.  He  followed  Napoleon  to  Elba  and  to  St.  Helena. 


270        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

than  they  deserved,  and  in  the  evening  the  Town 
was  illuminated.  In  the  Newspaper  I  daresay 
there  will  be  a  splendid  account  of  it,  but  it  was  a 
wretched  display  in  the  proportion  of  one  tallow 
candle  to  50  windows  stuck  up  to  glimmer  and  go 
out  without  the  slightest  taste  or  regularity. 

From  Brussels  we  started  in  a  nice  open  Barouche 
Landau  on  Thursday,  the  2Oth.  We  again  crossed 
the  Field  of  Waterloo  and  proceeded  towards 
Genappes,  a  road  along  which  we  jogged  merrily 
and  peaceably,  but  which  had  last  year  on  this  same 
day  been  one  continued  scene  of  carnage  and  con- 
fusion :  Prussians  cutting  off  French  heads,  arms 
and  legs  by  hundreds ;  Englishmen  in  the  rear 
going  in  chase,  cheering  the  Prussians  and  urging 
them  in  pursuit ;  the  French,  exhausted  with 
fatigue  and  vexation,  making  off  in  all  directions 
with  the  utmost  speed. 

At  Genappes  we  changed  horses  in  the  very 
courtyard  where  Napoleon's  carriage  was  taken  .  .  . 
and  were  shown  the  spot  where  the  Brunswick 
Hussars  cut  down  the  French  General  as  a  retali- 
ation for  the  life  of  the  Duke.  The  Postmaster 
told  us  what  he  could,  which  was  not  much  ;  the  only 
curious  part  was  that  in  his  narrative  he  never 
called  the  Highland  Regiments  "Les  Ecossais,"  but 
"  Les  Sans  Culottes."  The  setting  sun  found  us  all 
covered  with  dust,  rather  tired  and  very  hungry, 
and  driving  up,  with  some  misgivings  from  what  we 
had  heard  and  from  what  we  saw,  to  our  Inn  at 
Charleroi.  "  This  is  an  abominable-looking  house," 


' 


1816]    ROUGH  ROADS  AND  DAINTY  FARE    271 

said  Donald.  "  Oh,  jump  out  before  we  drive  in  and 
ask  what  we  can  get  to  eat."  "  Well,  Donald, 
what  success  ?  "  we  all  cried  like  young  birds  upon 
the  return  of  the  old  one  to  the  gaping,  craving 
mouths  in  their  nest.  "  The  Landlady  says  she 
has  nothing  at  all  in  the  house,  but  if  you  will  come 
in  thinks  something  may  be  killed  which  will  suffice 
for  supper."  This  was  a  bad  prospect.  .  .  . 

We  three  went  on  in  quest  of  better  accommo- 
dation, and  drove  first  to  enquire  at  the  Post  House. 
The  first  question  the  Postmaster  asked  was,  What 
could  induce  us  to  come  to  a  place  from  which  there 
was  no  exit?  We  told  him  we  wished  to  go  to 
Maubeuge.  Had  you  seen  his  shoulders  elevate 
themselves  above  his  ears.  "  To  Maubeuge  !  Why, 
it  is  utterly  impossible."  "  Well,  then,"  we  said,  "to 
Mons."  "  Le  chemin  est  execrable."  "  To  Phillippe 
ville."  "  Encore  plus  mauvais."  As  a  proof  of 
which  he  told  us  that  a  government  courier  had  two 
days  before  insisted  upon  being  forwarded  thither, 
that  they  had  sent  him  off  at  2  in  the  morning,  to 
insure  him  time  before  daylight,  that  at  9  in  the 
morning  he  was  brought  back,  having  proceeded 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  2  leagues,  and  then  being 
deposited  in  a  rut  by  the  fracture  of  his  carriage. 
After  a  great  deal  of  pro  and  con  it  was  agreed  that 
with  more  horses  and  great  caution  and  stock  of 
patience  the  road  to  Mons  should  be  attempted,  and 
we  were  directed  to  "  Le  Grand  Monarque,"  a  good 
name  for  these  times,  applicable  to  Buonaparte  or 
Louis  XVIII. 


272       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

It  was  worth  while  to  lose  our  way  and  encounter 
these  unexpected  difficulties  for  the  amusement 
the  landlady  afforded  us.  We  seemed  almost  at 
the  end  of  the  world.  I  am  sure  we  felt  so,  for  the 
people  were  so  odd.  Dinner  she  promised,  and  in 
half  an  hour  proved  by  a  procession  of  half  a  dozen 
capital  dishes  how  wonderfully  these  people  under- 
stand the  art  of  cookery,  in  a  place  which  in 
England  would  be  considered  upon  a  par  with  the 
"  Eagle  and  Child."  I  We  asked  her  about  the  road 
in  hopes  of  hearing  a  more  satisfactory  account. 
With  a  nod  and  a  shrug,  and  an  enlargement  of  the 
mouth  and'projection  of  lip,  she  replied,  "Messieurs, 
je  ne  voudrais  pas  etre  un  oiseau  de  mauvais  augure, 
mais,  pour  les  chemins  il  faut  avouer  qu'ils  sont 
effroyables." 

I  will  venture  to  say  such  a  "oiseau"  as  our 
speaker  has  never  before  been  seen  or  heard  of  by 
any  naturalist  or  ornithologist.  Her  figure  and 
cloak  were  both  inimitable.  She  gave  such  a  tragi- 
comic account  of  her  sufferings  last  year,  during  the 
time  of  the  retreat,  and  in  1814  when  the  Russians 
were  there,  that  while  she  laughed  with  one  eye  and 
cried  with  the  other,  we  were  almost  inclined  to  do 
the  same.  She  had  been  pillaged  by  a  French 
officer  in  a  manner  which  surpassed  any  idea  we 
could  have  formed  of  French  oppression  and  bar- 
barity. At  one  time  the  Cossacks  caught  her,  and 
on  some  dispute  about  a  horse,  4  of  them  took  her 
each  by  an  arm  and  leg  and  laying  her  upon  her 
1  Inn  at  Alderley. 


1816]  PICTURESQUE  BRUGES  273 

"  Ventre "  flat  as  a  pancake,  a  fifth  cracked  his 
knout  (whip)  most  fearfully  over  her  head,  and 
prepared  himself  to  apply  the  said  whip  upon  our 
poor  landlady.  By  good  fortune  an  officer  rescued 
her  from  their  clutches,  but  she  shivered  like  a  jelly 
when  she  described  her  feelings  in  her  awkward 
position,  like  a  boat  upon  the  shore  bottom  up- 
wards. Then  she  told  us  how  her  husband  died  of 
fright,  or  something  very  near  it.  Her  account  of 
him  was  capital,  "II  e*toit,"  said  she,  "  un  bon  papa 
du  temps  passe,"  by  which  perhaps  you  may  imagine 
she  was  young  and  handsome.  She  was  very  old 
and  as  ugly  as  Hecate. 

Well,  my  sheet  is  at  an  end,  and  my  hand  quite 
knocked  up.  We  did  get  to  Mons,  but  the  roads 
were  "erfroyable."  At  one  moment  (luckily  we 
were  not  in  it)  the  carriage  stuck  in  the  mud  and 
paused.  "  Shall  I  go  ?  or  shall  I  not  go?  "  Luckily 
it  preferred  the  latter,  and  returned  to  its  position 
on  4  wheels  instead  of  2. 

E.  STANLEY. 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  Stanley. 

And  now  to  return  to  what  pleased  me  first: 
Bruges — where  I  first  felt  myself  completely  out  of 
England.  The  buildings  were  so  entirely  unlike  any 
I  have  seen  before  that  I  could  have  fancied  myself 
rather  walking  amongst  pictures  than  houses.  The 
winding  streets  are  so  interesting  when  you  do  not 
know  what  new  sight  a  new  turn  will  present ; 

18 


274       BEFORE  AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

especially  when,  as  in  this  case,  the  new  sight  was 
so  satisfactory  every  time.  Ghent  is  a  much  finer 
town  but  not  near  so  picturesque ;  but  we  were 
fortunate  in  falling  in  here  with  a  fine  Catholic 
procession.  We  went  to  the  top  of  the  Cathedral, 
and  as  we  were  coming  down  the  great  bell  tolled 
and  announced  the  procession  had  begun.  We 
almost  broke  our  necks  in  our  hurry  to  get  a  peep, 
and  we  did  arrive  at  a  loop-hole  in  time  to  see  the 
whole  mass  of  priests  and  procession  in  slow  motion 
down  the  great  aisle  and  to  hear  their  chant.  It 
was  very  fine  indeed,  tho'  to  our  heretical  feelings 
the  interest  lies  as  much  in  the  romantic  associations 
connected  with  all  the  Roman  Catholic  ceremonies 
as  in  anything  better.  It  is  not  in  human  nature 
not  to  feel  more  devotion  in  the  imposing  solemnity 
of  such  a  church.  The  "  Descents  from  the  Cross  " 
were  just  put  up,  and  with  the  organ  playing  and 
mass  going  on,  and  the  number  of  female  figures 
with  their  black  scarfs  over  their  heads  kneeling  on 
chairs  in  different  parts  of  the  Cathedral,  we  saw 
them  to  greater  advantage  than  surrounded  by 
French  bonnets  and  other  pictures  in  the  Louvre. 
They  are  quite  different  to  any  Rubens  I  ever  saw 
before  ;  the  colouring  so  much  deeper  and  the  figures 
so  superior. 

But  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  enter  that 
Cathedral  without  the  black  scarf,  which  makes  a 
young  face  look  pretty  and  an  old  one  picturesque  ; 
and  there  were  several  common  people  gazing  at  the 
picture  with  as  much  admiration  and  adoration 


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1816]  A  BAROUCHE   AND  THREE  275 

painted  on  their  faces  as  there  probably  was  on 
ours. 

At  Brussels  there  were  more  pictures  from  the 
Louvre,  but  the  Brutes  had  packed  up  the  Rubens 
without  any  covering  or  precaution  whatever,  and 
there  they  are  with  a  hole  thro'  one,  and  the  other 
covered  with  mildew  and  stains  from  rain  and  dirt. 
From  Ghent  we  travelled  in  two  cabriolets  to 
Brussels,  which  were  not  quite  so  easy  or  pleasant 
as  the  Canal  boats ;  but  the  accommodations  as  far 
as  Brussels  have  been  really  super  be.  I  have  longed 
for  the  papers  or  the  carpets  or  the  marble  tables  in 
every  room  we  have  been  in  ;  and  I  have  learned  to 
consider  dinner  as  a  matter  of  great  curiosity  and 
importance,  and  I  cannot  wonder  that  Englishmen 
are  not  proof  against  the  temptations  of  living  well 
and  so  cheap.  Brussels  is  a  nice  place ;  there 
appear  to  be  so  many  pleasant  walks  and  rides  in  all 
directions.  The  country  about  is  so  pretty,  and 
the  town  (with  the  exception  of  the  steep  hill  which 
you  must  ascend  to  get  to  the  best  part  of  it)  very 
cheerful  and  agreeable  looking  ....  Every  place 
swarms  with  English;  we  have  met  four  times  as 
many  English  carriages  and  travellers  as  we  did  on 
our  road  to  London. 

Our  weather  has  been  very  favourable.  We  had 
a  cool  day  for  walking  about  at  Waterloo,  and  the 
next  day  a  delightful  bright  sunshine  to  show  off  the 
Palace  of  Laeken  to  advantage.  It  is  the  place 
where  Bonaparte  intended  to  sleep  on  the  i8th,  and 
he  fitted  it  up.  It  is  three  miles  from  Brussels, 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  country  and 
surrounded  by  trees  and  pleasure-grounds  in  the 
English  style.  After  looking  at  buildings  and  towns 
so  much,  it  was  an  agreeable  relief  to  admire  shady 
walks  and  fine  trees.  We  went  to  the  Theatre, 
which  was  execrable,  but  at  Ghent  we  were  very 
much  amused  with  some  incomparable  acting. 

We  left  Brussels  yesterday  morning  in  a  Barouche 
and  three  t  which  is  to  take  us  to  Paris.  It  holds  us 
four  in  the  inside  and  John  on  the  box  as  nicely  as 
we  could  wish  and  is  perfectly  easy.  We  suit  each 
other  as  well  in  other  respects  as  in  the  carriage. 
Donald  is  an  excellent  compagnon  de  voyage — full  of 
liveliness,  good  humour,  and  curiosity,  enjoying 
everything  in  the  right  way.  He  and  Edward 
Leycester  are  my  beaux,  while  E.S.  does  the 
business ;  which  makes  it  much  pleasanter  to  me 
than  if  I  had  only  one  gentleman  with  me.  In 
short,  we  had  not  a  difficulty  till  yesterday.  We 
came  by  Waterloo  again  and  picked  up  Lacoite  to 
get  what  we  could  from  him ,  and  then  to  Charleroi, 
being  told  the  road  by  Nivelles  was  impassable. 
The  road  to  Charleroi  was  bad,  and  we  did  not  arrive 
till  9,  having  had  no  eatable  but  biscuit  and  wine. 
Donald  entered  the  hotel  to  enquire  what  we  could 
have  for  dinner,  and  returned  with  the  melancholy 
report  that  the  woman  had  literally  nothing,  and  did 
not  know  where  any  were  to  be  procured,  but  that 
she  would  kill  a  hen  and  dress  it  if  we  liked !  We 
sent  Donald  and  Edward,  as  a  forlorn  hope,  to  see 
if  there  was  another  inn,  and  after  a  long  search 


^^^sl»,i  V  V-'^X-JT  f 

V-  > i!   I 
rl*Jm\\:  sill   I 


1816]  TEAM   OF  NINE   DOGS  277 

they  found  one,  whereupon  the  postillion  found  out 
that  he  had  no  drag-chain  and  could  not  properly 
descend  the  montagne.  However,  after  some 
arguments,  and  my  descent  from  the  carnage,  and 
Donald  and  John  walking  on  each  side  the  wheels 
with  large  stones  ready  to  place  before  them  in  case 
they  were  disposed  to  run  too  fast,  we  arrived  at  the 
Inn  at  the  foot  of  the  Hill,  from  which  issued  an  old 
woman  who  might  have  sat  for  Gil  Bias'  or  Caleb 
Williams'  old  woman.  When  she  heard  where  we 
were  going,  she  shook  her  head  and  said  she  did  not 
like  to  be  un  oiseau  de  mauvais  augure  but  that  the 
only  road  we  could  go  was  very  nearly  impassable. 
The  people  and  the  children  in  the  street  crowded 
round  the  carriage  as  if  they  had  never  seen  one 
before,  and,  in  short,  we  found  that  we  had  got  into 
a  cul-de-sac. 

However,  our  adventures  for  the  night  finished  by 
the  old  woman  giving  us  so  good  a  dinner  and  so 
many  good  stories  of  herself  and  the  Cossacks,  that 
we  did  not  regret  having  been  round,  especially  now 
when  we  are  safely  landed  at  Valenciennes  without 
either  carriage  or  bones  broke — over  certainly  the 
very  worst  road  I  ever  saw. 

We  shall  be  at  Paris  on  Monday  or  Tuesday,  I 
think.  Adieu. 

Rev.  E.  Stanley  to  his  niece,  Rianette  Stanley. 

.  .  .  Before  leaving  Brussels  for  ever,  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  speak  about  the  dogs.  What  would 


278       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

you  say,  what  would  you  think,  and  how  would  you 
laugh  at  some  of  these  wondrous  equipages.  You 
meet  them  in  all  directions  carrying  every  species  of 
load.  They  were  only  surpassed  by  one  vehicle  we 
met  on  the  road  drawn  by  nine,  and  as  luck  would 
have  it,  just  as  we  passed,  the  five  leaders  fell  to 
fighting  and  ran  their  carriage  over  some  high 
stones.  Then  the  women  within  began  to  scream 
and  the  driver  without  began  to  whip,  which  caused 
an  inevitable  scene  of  bustle  and  perplexity.  .  .  . 

At  Quiverain  we  passed  the  line  of  separation 
between  France  and  Belgium  and  were  subjected  to 
a  close  inspection  by  the  Custom  House  Officers, 
during  which  some  Bandana  handkerchiefs  of 
Edward's  were  for  a  time  in  great  jeopardy,  but  they 
were  finally  returned  and  "nous  voila"  in  "la  belle 
France."  The  change  was  perceptible  in  more  ways 
than  one.  Before  we  had  travelled  a  mile  we 
beheld  a  proof  of  this  subjugated  state  in  the  person 
of  a  Cossack  "  en  plein  costume,"  with  two  narrow, 
horizontal  eyes  placed  at  the  top  of  his  forehead, 
bespeaking  his  Tartar  origin.  Upon  a  log  of  timber 
twenty  more  were  sitting  smoking.  The  Russian 
headquarters  are  at  Maubeuge,  but  the  Cossacks  are 
scattered  all  over  the  frontier  villages  and  are  seen 
everywhere.  We  fell  in  with  at  least  a  hundred. 
They  are  very  quiet  and  much  liked  by  the  people. 
The  Duke  of  Wellington,  when  returning  to 
Valenciennes  a  few  days  ago  from  Maubeuge,  was 
escorted  by  a  party  of  these  gipsy  guards. 

On  approaching   Valenciennes   other   tokens   of 


1816]  BREAKFAST  WITH  AN  ASTRONOMER  279 

conquest  appeared.  A  clean-looking  inn,  with  a 
smart  garden  in  Islington  style,  presented  itself, 
bearing  a  sign  with  an  English  name  containing  the 
additional  intelligence  that  London  Porter  and 
Rum,  Gin,  and  Brandy  were  all  there,  and  to  be 
had. 

Over  many  a  window  we  saw  a  good  John  Bull 
board  with  "  Spirituous  Liquors  Sold  Here "  in- 
scribed thereon  in  broad  British  characters,  unlike 
the  "  Spiritual  Lickers  "  in  the  miserable  letters  upon 
the  signboards  at  Ostend.  As  to  Valenciennes, 
nothing  was  French  but  the  houses  and  Inns.  The 
visible  population  were  red-coated  soldiers,  and  it 
was  impossible  not  to  fancy  that  our  journey  was  a 
dream,  and  that  we  had  in  fact  re-opened  our  eyes 
in  England. 

Of  hornworks,  demi-lunes,  and  ravelines  I  shall 
speak  to  your  Papa  when  I  fight  my  battle  once 
again  in  the  Armchair  at  the  Park  or  at  Win- 
nington ;  enough  for  you  to  know  that  we  all 
breakfasted  with  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  a  very 
superior  man  and  a  great  astronomer,  and  tho' 
brave  as  a  lion,  seems  to  prefer  looking  at  la  Pleine 
lune  in  the  heavens  than  the  host  of  demi-lunes  with 
which  he  is  surrounded  in  his  present  quarters.  At 
Cambray  Sir  George  Scovell l  had  most  kindly 
secured  us  lodgings  at  Sir  Lowry  Cole's 2  house, 

1  Sir  George  Scovell,  1774-1861,  General.     He  fought  in  the 
Peninsula  and  at  Waterloo. 

2  Sir   Lowry   Cole,  second   son   of  first  Earl  of  Enniskillen, 
General  of  4th  Division  at  the  Battle  of  Salamanca.     He  received 


280       BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

which  we  had  all  to  ourselves,  as  the  General  was 
in  England.  Where  the  French  people  live  it  is 
not  easy  to  guess,  for  all  the  best  houses  are  taken 
by  British  Officers.  They  receive  a  billet  which 
entitles  them  to  certain  rooms,  and  generally  they 
induce  the  possessor  to  decamp  altogether  by  giving 
him  a  small  rent  for  the  remainder.  We  found 
Colonel  Egerton,  who  married  a  Miss  Tomkinson, 
in  the  garrison.  We  dined  with  them  and  the 
Scovell,  and  were  received  with  the  utmost 
kindness  and  attention  by  all.  Colonel  Prince  and 
Colonel  Abercromby  (you  know  both,  I  believe) 
also  dined  there  two  days  we  remained. 

On  Sunday  there  was  a  Procession.  The 
most  curious  circumstance  was  that  a  troop  of 
British  cavalry  attended  to  clear  the  way  and  do 
the  honours,  for  the  National  Guard  had  been 
disarmed  three  days  before  in  consequence  of  an 
order  from  the  Duke  of  Wellington  (nobody 
knows  why).  They  gave  up  their  arms  without 
a  murmur  ;  some  few,  I  believe,  expressed  by  a 
"  Bah ! "  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  that  it 
was  not  quite  agreeable  to  their  feelings,  but 
"voila  tout."  "I  say,  Jack,"  said  a  Grenadier 
of  the  Guards  to  his  Companion,  by  whom  I 
was  standing  as  the  procession  came  out  of  the 
Church,  "  who  is  that  fellow  with  a  gold  coat 
and  gridiron?"  "Why,  that's  St.  Lawrence," 
and  so  it  was. 

the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament  for  his  gallant  services 
in  the  Peninsula.  Commanded  6th  Division  at  Waterloo. 


1816]  AN   ARAB   LIFE  281 

St.  Lawrence  led  the  way,  followed  by  a  brass 
St.  Andrew  as  stiff  as  a  poker  and  as  much 
resembling  St.  Andrew  as  I  conceive ;  but  my 
companion  the  Grenadier  thought  differently,  for 
he  pronounced  him  to  be  a  Chef  d'ceuvre.  "  Well 
now,  Jack,  that's  quite  natural."  .  .  . 

I  must  hurry  you  on  to  Compiegne,  merely 
saying  that  we  traversed  a  country  fringed  with 
immense  forests  in  which  wolves  are  born  and 
live  and  die  without  much  interruption,  tho' 
we  were  told  at  one  of  the  Inns  that  a  peasant 
had,  a  day  or  two  before,  captured  seven  juvenile 
individuals  of  the  species  and  carried  them  off  un- 
eaten by  their  disconsolate  parents. 

Our  chief  reason  for  visiting  Compiegne  was  that 
we  might  see  a  Palace  fitted  up  for  Marie  Louise  by 
Bonaparte  in  a  style  of  splendour  surpassing,  in  my 
opinion,  any  Palace  I  have  seen  in  France. 

Mrs.  E.   Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  J.  Stanley. 

PARIS,  June  28,  1816. 

And  here  I  am — and  what  shall  I  tell  you  first  ? 
And  how  shall  I  find  time  to  tell  you  anything  in 
the  wandering  Arab  kind  of  life  we  are  leading  ? 
It  is  very  new  and  very  amusing  and  I  enjoy  it 
very  much,  but  I  enjoy  still  more  the  thoughts  of 
how  much  I  shall  enjoy  my  own  quiet  home  and 
children  again  when  I  get  to  them. 

We  arrived  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  in  half  an 
hour  I  was  in  the  Palais  Royal  in  the  Cafe"  de  Mille 
Colonnes,  and  at  night  the  brilliancy  of  the  Lamps 


282       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

and  Mirrors,  glittering  in  every  direction  in  every 
alley,  displayed  this  new  scene  to  me  in  the  newest 
colours ;  and  it  was  very  like  walking  in  a  new 
world.  .  .  . 

The  F£tes  for  the  marriage  of  the  Due  de  Berri 
are  unfortunately  all  over.  Except  the  entertain- 
ments at  the  Court  itself,  a  French  party  is  a  thing 
unheard  of,  and  the  only  gaieties  have  been  English 
parties  to  which  some  few  French  come  when  they 
are  invited.  The  only  gentlemen's  carriages  I  have 
seen  in  the  streets  are  English,  and  as  to  French 
gentlemen  or  ladies,  according  to  the  most  diligent 
enquiries  by  eyes  and  tongue,  the  race  has  almost 
disappeared.  .  .  . 

If  you  admire  Buonaparte  and  despise  the 
Bourbons  in  Cheshire,  what  would  you  in  Paris  ? 
where  the  regular  answer  to  everything  you  admire 
is  that  it  was  done  by  Buonaparte — to  everything 
that  you  object  to,  that  it  is  by  order  of  the 
Bourbons.  In  the  Library  of  the  Hopital  des 
Invalides  to-day,  collected  by  order  of  Buonaparte 
for  the  use  of  the  soldiers,  there  was  a  man  pulling 
down  all  the  books  and  stamping  over  the  N's  and 
eagles  on  the  title-page  with  blue  ink,  which,  if  it 
did  not  make  a  plain  L,  at  least  blotted  out  the  N  ; 
but  I  should  apprehend  that  every  one  who  saw  the 
blot  would  think  more  of  the  vain  endeavour  of 
Louis  to  take  his  place  than  if  the  N  had  been 
left. 

...  I  have  told  you  nothing  about  Valenciennes 
and  how  we  breakfasted  with  two  odd  characters 


1816]  COMPIEGNE  283 

to  come  together  in  one,  an  Astronomer  and  a 
Soldier,  viz.,  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  who  enlivens 
his  quarters  wherever  he  goes  by  erecting  an 
observatory  immediately,  and  studying  hard  as  any 
Cambridge  mathematician  every  hour  that  he  is 
not  on  military  duty.  His  officers  seem  to  have 
partaken  in  some  degree  of  the  spirit  of  their 
General,  and  to  have  made  use  of  their  position 
at  Valenciennes  to  make  themselves  perfectly 
acquainted  with  all  Marl  borough's  campaign,  and 
they  appeared  to  have  as  much  interest  in  tracing 
all  his  sieges  and  breaches  and  batteries  as  their 
General  in  making  his  observations  on  the  sun  and 
the  stars.  .  .  .  The  Scovells  were  delighted  to 
see  us  at  Cambray ;  put  us  into  Sir  Lowry 
Cole's  quarters,  where  we  had  a  house  and  gardens 
all  to  ourselves.  Lord  Wellington  had  been  at 
Cambray  a  fortnight  before,  and  was  all  affa- 
bility, good  humour,  and  gaiety.  .  .  .  Sir  Geo. 
Scovell  gave  many  interesting  details  of  his  cool- 
ness, quickness,  decision,  and  undaunted  spirit. 

Edward  Stanley  to  Bella  Stanley. 

PARIS,  July  9,  1816. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  a  word  or  two 
should  be  said  upon  the  palace  at  Compiegne, 
which  was  fitted  up  about  seven  years  ago  by 
Napoleon  for  Marie  Louise.  Having  seen  most  of 
his  Imperial  abodes,  I  am  inclined  to  give  the 
preference,  as  far  as  internal  decoration  extends,  to 


284       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

Compiegne.  Gold,  silver,  mirrors,  tapestry  all 
hold  their  court  here.  The  bath  is  a  perfect 
specimen  of  French  luxury  and  magnificence.  It 
fills  a  recess  in  a  moderately-sized  room  almost 
entirely  panelled  with  the  finest  sheets  of  plate 
glass ;  and  the  ball  room  is  so  exquisitely  beautiful 
that  to  see  its  golden  walls  and  ceilings  lighted  up 
with  splendid  chandeliers,  and  its  floors  graced  with 
dancers,  plumed  and  jewelled,  I  would  take  the 
trouble  of  attending  as  your  Chaperon  from  Alder- 
ley  whenever  the  Bourbons  send  you  an  invitation. 

The  gardens  are  like  all  other  French  pleasure 
grounds,  formal  and  comfortless,  but  there  is  one 
part  you  would  all  enjoy.  When  Buonaparte  first 
carried  Marie  Louise  to  Compiegne  she  expressed 
much  satisfaction,  but  remarked  that  it  was  deficient 
in  a  Berceau  ;  it  could  not  stand  in  competition 
with  her  favourite  palace  of  Schonbrunn.  Now,  a 
berceau  is  a  wide  walk  covered  with  trellis  work 
and  flowers.  She  left  Compiegne.  In  six  weeks 
Napoleon  begged  her  to  pay  another  visit.  She 
did  so,  and  found  a  berceau  wide  enough  for  two 
carriages  to  go  abreast  and  above  two  miles  in 
length,  extending  from  the  gardens  to  the  forest  of 
Compiegne,  completely  finished.  May  you  all  be 
espoused  to  husbands  who  will  execute  all  your 
whims  and  fancies  with  equal  rapidity  and  good 
taste  !  In  your  berceau  I  will  walk  ;  but  if  you  are 
destined  to  reside  in  golden  palaces,  you  must  expect 
little  of  Uncle's  company. 

Having  travelled  thus  far,  attend  us  to  Paris  and 


1816]  PARIS  TRAGEDY  285 

imagine  yourself  seated  in  a  velvet  chair  in  the 
Hotel  de  Bretagne,  Rue  de  Richelieu,  that  is  to  say, 
when  translated  into  London  terms,  conceive  your- 
self seated  in  one  of  the  Hotels  in  or  near  Covent 
Gardens,  close  to  Theatre  and  shops  and  all  that  a 
stranger  wishes  to  be  near  for  a  week  when  the 
sole  purpose  of  his  visit  is  seeing  and  hearing. 
We  are  within  20  yards  (but  if  measured  by  the 
mud  and  filth  to  be  traversed  in  the  march  I  should 
call  it  a  mile)  of  the  Palais  Royal,  the  fairy  land 
of  Paris,  and  Paradise  of  vice,  and  the  centre  of 
attraction  to  every  stranger.  Here  we  breakfast  in 
Coffee-houses,  of  which  no  idea  can  be  formed  by 
those  who  only  associate  the  name  of  Coffee-house 
with  certain  subdivided,  gloomy  apartments  in 
England,  where  steaks  and  Morning  Chronicles 
reign  with  divided  sway,  and  where  the  silence  is 
seldom  interrupted  but  by  queries  as  to  the  price  of 
stocks  or  "  Here,  Waiter,  another  bottle  of  Port." 

We  dine  at  Restaurateurs,  choosing  unknown 
dishes  out  of  five  closely-printed  columns  of  frican- 
deaus  and  a  la  financieres. 

Before  I  proceed  let  me  inform  you  of  some 
simple  matters  of  fact  which  I  may  forget  if  delayed. 
Such  as  that  we  found  the  Sothebys  and  Murrays, 
and  Leghs  of  High  Legh,  and  Wilbraham  of 
Delamere  Lodge.  With  the  former  we  have  made 
several  joint  excursions  and  contrived  to  meet  at 
dinner.  Mr.  Sotheby  is  in  his  element,  bustles 
everywhere,  looks  the  vignette  of  happiness,  ex- 
claims "  Good! "  upon  all  occasions,  from  the  arrange- 


286       BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

ment  of  the  Skulls  in  the  Catacombs  to  the  dressing 
of  a  vol  au  vent.  In  short,  they  are  all  as  delighted 
as  myself,  and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal. 

Pardon  this  digression.  Again  to  the  point — to 
Paris.  Where  shall  I  begin  ?  Let  us  take  the 
theatres.  We  saw  Talma  last  night,  and  the  im- 
pression is  strong,  therefore  he  shall  appear  first  on 
the  list. 

The  play  was  "  Manlius,"  a  tragedy  in  many 
respects  like  our  "  Venice  Preserved."  The  House 
was  crowded  to  excess,  especially  the  pit,  which,  as 
in  England,  is  the  focus  of  criticisms  and  vent  for 
public  opinion. 

When  a  Tragedy  is  acted  no  Music  whatever  is 
allowed,  not  a  fiddle  prefaced  the  performance ;  but 
at  seven  o'clock  the  curtain  slowly  rose,  and  amidst 
the  thunder  of  applause,  succeeded  by  a  breathless 
silence,  Talma  stepped  forth  in  the  Roman  toga 
of  Manlius.  His  figure  is  bad,  short,  and  rather 
clumsy,  his  countenance  deficient  in  dignity  and 
natural  expression,  but  with  all  these  deductions  he 
shines  like  a  meteor  when  compared  with  Kemble. 
He  is  body  and  soul,  finger  and  thumb,  head  and 
foot,  involved  in  his  character ;  and  so,  say  you, 
is  Miss  O'Neil,  but  Talma  and  Miss  O'Neil  are 
different  and  distant  as  the  poles.  She  is  nature, 
he  is  art,  but  it  is  the  perfection  of  art,  and  so 
splendid  a  specimen  well  deserves  the  approbation 
he  so  profusely  receives. 

The  curtain  is  not  let  down  between  the  acts,  and 
the  interval  does  not  exceed  two  or  three  minutes, 


1816]        AN  AUDIENCE   IN  THRALDOM          287 

so  that  your  attention  is  never  interrupted.  The 
scene  closed  as  it  commenced — with  that  peculiar 
hurra  of  the  French,  expressive  of  their  highest 
excitement.  It  is  the  same  with  which  they  make 
their  charge  in  battle,  and  proportioned  to  numbers 
it  could  not  have  been  more  vehement  at  the 
victories  of  Austerlitz  and  Jena  than  it  was  on 
the  reappearance  of  Talma ;  and  not  satisfied  with 
this,  they  insisted  on  his  coming  forth  again.  At 
length,  amidst  hurras  and  cries  of  "  Talma  ! 
Talma !  "  the  curtain  was  closed  up,  and  my  last 
impression  rendered  unfavourable  by  a  vulgar, 
graceless  figure  in  nankeen  breeches  and  top-boots 
hurrying  in  from  a  side  scene,  dropping  a  swing 
bow  in  the  centre  of  the  stage,  and  then  hurrying 
out  again. 

Theatres  are  to  Frenchmen  what  flowers  are  to 
bees  :  they  live  in  them  and  upon  them,  and  the 
sacrifice  of  liberty  appears  to  be  a  tribute  most 
willingly  paid  for  the  gratification  they  receive  ;  for, 
to  be  sure,  never  can  there  exist  a  more  despotic, 
arbitrary  government  than  that  of  a  French  theatre. 
A  soldier  stands  by  from  the  moment  you  quit  your 
carriage  till  you  get  into  it ;  you  are  allowed  no  will 
of  your  own  ;  if  you  wish  to  give  directions  to  your 
servant,  "  Vite !  Vite  ! "  cries  a  whiskered  sentry. 
Are  you  looking  through  the  windows  of  the  lobbies 
into  the  boxes  for  your  party,  you  are  ordered  off  by 
a  gendarme.  I  saw  one  gentlemanlike-looking  man 
remonstrating ;  in  a  trice  he  was  in  durance  vile.  A 
Frenchman  at  his  play  must  sit,  stand,  move,  think, 


288   BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

and  speak  as  if  he  were  on  drill,  and  yet  he  endures 
the  intolerance  for  doubtful  benefits  derived  from 
this  rigid  regularity. 

In  this  play  of  "  Manlius  "  were  many  passages 
highly  applicable  to  Buonaparte,  and  Talma,  who  is 
supposed  to  be  (avec  raison)  a  secret  partisan,  gave 
them  their  full  effect,  but  the  listening  vassals  struck 
no  octaves  to  his  vibration.  A  few  nights  before 
we  were  at  the  Play  in  which  were  allusions  to  the 
Bourbons,  and  couplets  without  end  of  the  most 
fulsome,  disgusting  compliments  to  the  Due  de  Berri, 
&c.  These  (shame  upon  the  trifling,  vacillating, 
mutable  crew ! )  were  received  with  loud  applause 
by  the  majority  of  the  pit.  I  did  observe,  however, 
that  in  that  pit  did  sit  a  frowning,  solemn,  silent 
nucleus,  but  a  nucleus  of  this  description  can  never 
be  large  ;  a  few  Messieurs  at  3  francs  par  jour 
would  soon,  when  dispersed  amongst  them,  like 
grains  of  pepper  in  tasteless  soup,  diffuse  a  tone  of 
palatibility  over  the  whole  and  render  it  more  agree- 
able to  the  taste  of  a  Bourbon. 

A  propos,  we  have  seen  the  Bourbons.  The  King 
is  a  round,  fat  man,  so  fat  that  in  their  pictures  they 
dare  not  give  him  the  proper  "contour"  lest  the 
police  should  suspect  them  of  wishing  to  ridicule  ; 
but  his  face  is  mild  and  benevolent,  and  I  verily 
believe  his  face  to  be  a  just  reflection  of  his  heart. 
Then  comes  Monsieur,1  a  man  with  more  ex- 
pression, but  I  did  not  see  enough  to  form  any 
opinion  of  my  own,  and  I  never  heard  any  very 
1  Comte  d'  Artois,  afterwards  King  Charles  X. 


1816]  A  ROYAL   KITTEN  289 

decisive  account  from  any  one  else.  Then  comes 
the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.1  There  is  no  milk 
and  water  there.  What  she  really  is  I  may  not  be 
able  to  detect,  but  I  will  forfeit  my  little  finger  if 
there  is  not  something  passing  strange  within  her. 
She  is  called  a  Bigot  and  a  Devotee;  she  has  seen 
and  felt  enough,  and  more  than  enough,  to  make  a 
stronger  mind  than  hers  either  the  one  or  the  other, 
and  I  will  excuse  her  if  she  is  both.  She  is  thin  and 
genteel,  grave  and  dignified  ;  she  puts  her  fan  to 
her  underlip  as  Napoleon  would  put  his  finger  to  his 
forehead,  or  his  hand  into  his  bosom.  She  stood  up, 
she  sat  down,  she  knelt,  when  others  stood  or  sat 
or  knelt,  but  I  question  whether  if  she  had  been 
alone  she  would  have  done  all  according  to  bell  and 
candle,  rule  or  regulation. 

Then  comes  the  Duchesse  de  Berri,2a  young,  pretty 
thing,  a  sort  of  royal  kitten ;  and  then  comes  her 
husband,  the  Due  de  Berri,  a  short,  vulgar-looking, 
anything  but  a  kitten  he  is — but  arrete  toi.  I  am  in 
the.  land  of  vigilance,  and  already  my  pen  trembles, 
for  there  are  gendarmes  in  abundance  in  the  streets, 
and  Messieurs  Bruce  and  Co.  in  La  Force,  and  I  do 
not  wish  to  join  their  party.  In  England  I  may 
abuse  our  Prince  Regent  and  call  him  fat,  dissipated, 
and  extravagant,  but  in  France  I  dare  not  say  "  BO 
to  a  goose!"  So,  Je  vous  salue,  M.  le  Due  de  Berri. 

Apropos  of  the  police.  At  the  marriage  of  the 
above  much  honoured  and  respected  Due  the  illumi- 

1  Daughter  of  Louis  XVJ. 
3  Caroline  of  Naples. 
19 


290        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

nations  were  general.  Murray's  landlord  was  setting 
out  his  tallow  candles,  when  Murray,  guessing  from 
certain  innuendoes  and  shrugs  (for  before  us  English 
they  are  not  much  afraid  of  shrugging  the  shoulders 
or  inventing  an  occasional  "Bah!")  that  he  would  have 
been  to  the  full  as  pleased  if  he  had  been  lighting 
his  candles  upon  the  return  of  Napoleon,  asked  him, 
"  Mais  pourquoi  faites  vous  cela  ?  I  suppose  you 
may  do  as  you  like  ?  "  "  Comment  done  !  "  replied 
the  astonished  Frenchman  ;  "do  as  I  like  !  If  I  did 
not  light  my  candles  with  all  diligence,  I  should  be 
called  upon  to-morrow  by  the  police  to  pay  a  forfeit 
for  not  rejoicing." 

With  all  this  I  think  on  the  whole  the  Bourbons 
are  popular ;  people  are  accustomed  to  being  bullied 
out  of  their  opinions  and  use  of  their  tongues,  and 
they  are  so  sick  of  war,  with  all  its  inconveniences 
and  privations,  that  they  begin  to  prefer  inglorious 
repose.  English  money  is  very  much  approved  of 
here,  but  if  it  could  be  procured  without  the  per- 
sonal attendance  of  the  owners,  I  feel  quite 
confident  the  French  would  prefer  it. 

We  are  not  popular.  I  suppose  the  sight  of  us 
must  be  grating  to  the  feelings.  We  are  like  a 
blight  on  an  apple-tree  ;  we  curl  up  their  leaves, 
and  they  writhe  under  our  pressure. 

The  constant  song  of  our  drunken  soldiers  on  the 
Boulevards  commenced  with — 


"  Louis  Dixhuite,  Louis  dixhuite, 
We  have  licked  all  your  armies  and  sunk  all  your  fleet." 


1816]         BALLS   AND   POWDER  PLOTS  291 

Luckily  the  words  are  not  intelligible  to  the  gaping 
Parisians,  who  generally,  upon  hearing  the  "  Louis 
Dixhuite,"  took  for  granted  the  song  was  an  ode  in 
honour  of  the  Bourbons,  and  grinned  approbation. 
It  is  quite  ridiculous,  Paris  cannot  know  itself. 
Where  are  the  French  ?  Nowhere.  All  is  English; 
English  carriages  fill  the  streets,  no  other  genteel 
Equipages  are  to  be  seen.  At  the  Play  Boxes  are 
all  English.  At  the  Hotels,  Restaurations— in  short, 
everywhere — John  Bull  stalks  incorporate.  I  see  an 
Englishman  with  his  little  red  book,  the  Paris 
guide,  in  one  hand  and  map  in  the  other,  with  a 
parcel  of  ragged  boys  at  his  heels  pestering  him  for 
money.  "  Monsieur,  c'est  moi  "  who  am  ready  to 
hold  your  stick.  "  Monsieur,  c'est  moi,"  who  will 
call  your  coach. 

About  the  Thuilleries,  indeed,  and  here  and  there, 
a  few  "  bien  poudred  "  little  old  men,  "  des  bons 
Papas  du  Temps  passe,"  may  be  seen  dry  as 
Mummies  and  as  shrivelled,  with  their  ribbons  and 
Croix  St.  Louis,  tottering  about.  They  are  good, 
staunch  Bourbons,  ready,  I  daresay,  to  take  the 
field  "en  voiture  "  for  once,  when  taunted  by  the 
Imperial  officers  for  being  too  old  and  decrepid 
to  lead  troops ;  an  honest  emigrant  Marquis  replied 
that  he  did  not  see  why  he  should  not  command 
a  regiment  and  lead  it  on  "  dans  son  Cabriolet." 

We  have  been  unfortunate  in  not  arriving  soon 
enough  to  be  present  at  the  Duke  of  Wellington's 
Balls.  At  the  last  a  curious  circumstance  took 
place.  (You  may  rely  upon  it's  being  true.)  Word 


292        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

was  brought  to  him  that  the  house  was  in  danger 
from  fire.  He  went  down,  and  in  a  sort  of  sub- 
terranean room  some  cartridges  were  discovered 
close  to  a  lamp  containing  a  great  quantity  of  oil, 
and  it  was  evident  they  had  been  placed  there  with 
design.  The  first  report  was  that  barrels  of  gun- 
powder had  been  found,  and  strange  associations 
were  whispered  as  to  Guy  Fawkes  and  Louis 
XVIII.  being  one  and  the  same;  but  the  powder 
was  not  sufficient  to  do  any  great  mischief,  and  the 
general  idea  is  that  had  it  exploded,  confusion 
would  have  ensued,  the  company  would  have  been 
alarmed,  the  ladies  would  have  screamed  and 
fled  to  the  door  and  street,  where  parties  were 
in  full  readiness  and  expectations  of  Diamonds, 
&c.  .  .  . 

We  stay  over  Monday,  for  there  is  a  grand 
Review  on  the  Boulevards.  We  have  seen 
Cuirassiers  and  Lancers  shining  in  the  sun  and 
fluttering  their  little  banner  in  the  air.  The  Bour- 
bons, who  are  determined  to  root  out  every  vestige 
of  the  past,  are  now  stripping  the  Troops  of  the 
Uniform  which  remind  the  wearers  of  battles  fought 
and  cities  won,  and  re-clothing  them  in  the  white 
dress  of  the  "  ancien  Regime,"  which  is  wretchedly 
ugly.  They  know  best  what  they  are  about,  and 
they  certainly  have  a  people  to  deal  with  unlike  the 
rest  of  the  world,  but  were  I  a  Bourbon,  I  should 
be  cautious  how  I  proceeded  in  demolishing  every- 
thing which  reminded  the  people  of  their  recent 
glory.  Luckily  the  column  on  the  Place  Vendome 


1816]  MICHAEL  BRUCE  293 

has  as  yet  escaped  the  Goths,  and  its  bronze  basso 
reliefs  are  still  the  pride  of  Paris. 


Edward  Stanley  to  Louisa  Stanley. 

July  13,  1816. 

Days  in  Paris  are  like  lumps  of  barley  sugar, 
sweet  to  the  taste  and  melting  rapidly  away.  .  .  .  We 
have  now  seen  theatres,  shows,  gardens,  museums, 
palaces,  and  prisons.  Aye,  Louisa,  we  have  been 
immured  within  the  walls  of  La  Force,  and  that 
from  inclination  !  not  necessity. 

We  procured  an  order  to  see  Bruce,1  and  after 
some  shuttlecock  sort  of  work,  sending  and  being 
sent  from  office  to  office  and  PreYet  to  PreTet,  at 
length  we  received  our  order  of  admission. 

In  this  order  our  persons  are  described  ;  the  man 
put  me  down  "sourcils  gris."  "Mais,  Monsieur," 
said  I,  "  they  will  never  admit  me  with  that 
account."  He  looked  at  me  again,  "  Ah !  vos 
cheveux  sont  gris,  mais  pour  les  sourcils,  non  pas, 
vous  avez  raison,"  and  altering  them  to  "  noirs,"  he 
sent  me  about  my  business. 

Bar  and  bolt  were  opened,  and  at  length  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  these  popular 
prisoners— Popular,  at  least,  amongst  the  female 
part  of  the  world.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 

1  Michael  Bruce,  one  of  the  Englishmen  who  helped  Lavalette 
to  escape  from  prison.  He  was  known  as  Lavalette's  Bruce.  He 
had  previously  tried  to  save  Ney.  Major-General  Wilson  and 
Captain  Hutchinson  were  also  concerned  in  Lavalette's  escape. 


294       BEFORE  AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

a  few  of  the  Miss  Stanleys  had  formed  a  romantic 
attachment  for  Michael  Bruce,  and  there  are  few  of 
our  adventures  which  would,  I  think,  have  given 
you  more  pleasure  than  this  visit.  Your  heart 
would  have  been  torn  from  its  little  resting-place 
and  been  imprisoned  for  ever.  Michael  Bruce ! 
such  an  eye !  such  a  figure !  such  a  countenance ! 
such  a  voice !  and  so  much  sense  and  elegance 
of  manner,  and  then  so  interesting !  There  he  sat 
in  a  small,  wretched  room,  dirty  and  felonious,  with 
two  little  windows,  one  looking  into  a  court  where 
a  parcel  of  ragged  prisoners  were  playing  at  fives, 
the  other  into  a  sort  of  garden  where  others  were 
loitering  away  their  listless  vacuity  of  time. 

I  will  not  tell  you  what  he  said,  for  it  would  but 
inflame  a  wound  which  I  cannot  heal,  and  because 
part  of  his  conversation  was  secret,  i.e.,  of  a  very 
interesting  and  curious  nature  which  I  cannot  write 
and  must  not  speak  of.  "  Oh  !  dear  Uncle,  why 
won't  you  tell  ?  a  secret  from  Michael  Bruce  in  the 
prison  of  La  Force !  " 

No,  Louisa,  I  dare  not  speak  of  it  to  the  winds. 
Captain  Hutchinson  was  his  companion,  Sir  Robert 
Wilson  is  in  another  room.  The  Captain  has 
nothing  very  interesting  in  his  manner  or  appear- 
ance. He  is  very  plain,  very  positive,  and  very 
angry.  Well  he  may  be.  So  would  you  if,  like 
him,  you  had  been  immured  in  a  room  about  eight 
feet  by  twelve,  in  which  you  were  forced  to  eat, 
sleep,  and  reside  for  three  months.  Their  penance 
closes  on  the  24th,  when  Michael  Bruce  returns 


1816]  DE  NON  295 

to  London.  I  hope  you  are  not  going  there 
this  year. 

From  such  a  subject  as  Michael  Bruce  it  will  not 
do  to  descend  to  any  of  the  trifling  fopperies  of 
Paris. 

Let  me,  then,  give  you  a  short  account  of  our 
visit  to  Fountain  Elephant,  which  if  ever  finished, 
with  its  concomitant  streets,  &c.,  will  be  an  8th 
wonder  of  the  world.  Its  History  is  this  :  On  the 
Site  of  the  Bastille  (of  which  not  a  vestige  remains) 
Buonaparte  thought  he  would  erect  a  fountain,  and 
looking  at  the  Plans  of  Paris,  he  conceived  the 
splendid  idea  of  knocking  down  all  the  houses 
between  the  Thuilleries  and  this  Fountain  and 
forming  one  wide,  straight  street,  so  that  from  the 
Palace  of  the  Thuilleries  he  might  see  whatever 
object  he  might  be  pleased  to  place  at  the  ex- 
tremity. This  street  is  actually  begun ;  when 
executed,  which  it  never  will  be,  there  will  be  an 
avenue,  partly  houses,  partly  trees,  from  Barriere 
d'litoile  to  the  Fountain,  at  least  six  miles.  Having 
got  this  Fountain  in  his  head,  he  sent  for  De  Non,1 
who  superintended  all  his  works,  and  said,  "  De 
Non,  I  must  have  a  fountain,  and  the  fountain  shall 
be  a  beast."  So  De  Non  set  his  wits  to  work,  and 
talked  of  Lions  and  Tigers,  &c.,  when  Buonaparte 

1  Denon  (1747-1825),  a  member  of  the  Academic  de  Peinture. 
He  made  sketches  in  Egypt  for  Napoleon,  quietly  finishing  them 
on  the  battlefield.  He  directed  the  Emperor  what  objects  of 
art  he  should  take  from  various  countries  to  enrich  the  Louvre. 
Napoleon  made  him  Directeur-General  of  Museums. 


296        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

fixed  upon  an  Elephant,  with  a  Castle  upon  his 
back,  and  an  Elephant  there  is.  At  present  they 
have  merely  a  model  of  plaister  upon  which  the 
bronze  coating  is  to  be  wrought,  for  the  whole  is 
to  be  in  bronze  with  gilt  trappings.  He  is  to  stand 
upon  an  elevated  pedestal,  which  is  already  com- 
pleted. The  height  will  be  about  60  feet,  nearly  as 
high  as  Alderley  Steeple.  The  castle  will  hold 
water ;  the  inside  is  to  be  a  room,  and  the  staircase 
is  to  be  in  one  of  the  legs.  The  porter  who  showed 
it  was  exceedingly  proud  of  the  performance,  and 
when  I  expressed  my  astonishment  at  Buonaparte's 
numerous  plans  and  the  difficulty  he  must  have 
been  at  to  procure  money,  looking  cautiously  about 
him,  he  said,  "Oh,  mais  il  avoit  le  don  d'un  Dieu," 
and  then  grasping  my  arm  with  one  hand  and 
tapping  me  on  the  shoulder  with  the  other,  and 
again  looking  round  to  see  if  then  the  coast  was 
clear,  he  added,  "  Mais  il  n'y  est  plus,  ah,  vous 
comprenez  cela  n'est-ce  pas,"  and  then  casting  a  look 
at  his  Elephant  he  concluded  with  a  sigh  and  a 
mutter,  "  Superbe,  ah,  pardi,  que  c'est  superbe !  " 
Kitty  has  been  dressing  herself  a  la  Franfaise, 
and  we  have  been  purchasing  a  large  box  of  flowers, 
which  we  hope  to  show  you  in  England,  if  the 
Custom  House  officers  will  allow  us  to  pay  the 
duties,  but  we  hear  most  alarming  accounts  of  their 
ferocity  and  rapacity.  They  will  soon,  it  is  said, 
seize  the  very  clothes  you  have  on,  if  of  French 
manufacture ;  if  so,  adieu  to  three  pairs  of  black 
silk  stockings  and  as  many  pockethandkerchiefs,  to 


1816]  DUMB  SCHOLARS  297 

say  nothing  of  a  perfect  pet  of  an  ivory  dog  which 
I  intend  to  present  to  your  Mama,  and  to  say 
nothing  of  five  perfect  pets  for  Maria  and  you  four 
eldest  girls  of  the  family  of  Harlequin  and  Punch, 
to  be  worn  on  your  necklaces  during  the  happy 
weeks.  They  are  of  mother  of  pearl  about  an  inch 
high,  the  most  comical  fellows  I  ever  beheld.  It 
is  necessary  that  I  should  tell  you  of  the  presents, 
because  if  they  are  seized,  you  know  I  shall  still 
be  entitled  to  the  merit  of  selecting  them.  We 
have  bought  a  few  books.  A  thick  octavo  is  here 
worth  about  four  or  five  shillings,  and  the  duty  is, 
we  understand,  about  one  shilling  more.  One  is 
a  life  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough.  Buonaparte 
said  it  was  a  reflection  upon  England  not  to  have 
a  life  of  her  greatest  Hero,  and  therefore  he  would 
be  his  biographer ;  accordingly  he  set  his  men  to 
work  and  collected  the  materials.  Report  speaks 
favourably  of  it,  but  I  have  been  so  busied  in  look- 
ing and  walking  about  that  1  shall  not  be  surprised 
if  I  find  that  I  have  almost  forgotten  to  read  upon 
my  return ! 

Edward  Stanley  to  Louisa  Stanley. 

TUESDAY  MORNING,  July  \^th. 

We  are  in  Paris  still,  and  do  not  depart  till 
to-morrow,  dedicating  this  day  in  company  with  the 
Murrays  to  St.  Denis  and  Malmaison,  and  then  I 
think  we  shall  have  seen  everything  worth  seeing 
in  or  near  this  queer  metropolis.  One  day  last  week 


298        BEFORE   AND  AFTER   WATERLOO 

we  went  to  our  old  friend,  L'abbe  Sicard,1  and 
attended  a  lecture  in  which  about  20  of  his  young 
scholars  exhibited  their  powers.  The  poor  Abbe 
was,  as  usual,  dreadfully  prolix,  and  occupied  an 
hour  in  words  which  might  have  been  condensed 
within  the  compass  of  a  Minute,  and  poor  Massuer 
yawned  and  shut  his  eyes  ever  and  anon.  Clair 
was  not  there,  and  as  we  were  under  the  necessity 
of  going  away  before  the  Lecture  was  closed,  we 
could  not  renew  our  acquaintance.  Since  last  year 
he  has  taught  his  pupils  to  speak,  and  two  dumb 
boys  talked  to  each  other  with  great  success.  I 
will  show  you  the  mode  when  we  meet,  but  as  you 
are  not  dumb  it  will  be  a  mere  gratification  of 
Curiosity.  Our  Assignation  which  called  us  from 
the  Lecture  was  to  meet  the  Sothebys  and 
Hurrays  and  many  others  at  the  Buvin  d'Enfer, 
near  which  is  the  descent  to  the  Catacombs,  where 
upwards  of  3  million  of  Skulls  are  arranged  in  tasty 
grimaces  thro'  Streets  of  Bones,  but  my  Sketch 
Book  has  long  given  an  idea  of  these  ossifatory 
Exhibitions.  Only  think,  a  cousin  of  Donald's  and 
a  very  great  friend  of  mine,  a  Capt.  McDonald, 
whom  you  would  all  be  in  love  with,  he  is  so  hand- 
some and  interesting,  was  shut  up  there  a  short 
time  ago  by  accident,  and  if  the  Keeper  had  not 
luckily  recollected  the  number  of  persons  who 
descended  and  discovered  one  was  missing,  he 
would  very  soon  have  joined  the  bone  party. 

1  Abb£  Roch  Ambroise  Sicard,  founder  of  deaf  and   dumb 
school  at  Paris,   1742-1822. 


1816]  PERE   LA   CHAISE  299 

There  is  another  Cimetiere  called  that  of  Pere  la 
Chaise,  of  a  very  different  description,  and  infinitely 
more  interesting.  It  is  the  grand  burial-place  of 
Paris  ;  all  who  choose  may  purchase  little  plots  of 
ground,  from  a  square  foot  to  an  acre,  for  the 
deposition  of  themselves  and  their  families.  Its 
extent  is  about  84  French  acres,  and  upon  no  spot 
in  the  world  is  the  French  character  so  perfectly 
portrayed.  Each  individual  encloses  his  plot  and 
ornaments  it  as  he  chooses,  and  the  variety  is  quite 
astonishing.  It  appears  like  a  large  Shop  full  of 
toys,  work-baskets,  Columns,  little  Cottages,  pyra- 
mids, mounts — in  short,  what  is  there  in  the  form 
of  a  Monument  which  may  not  there  be  found  ?  A 
pert  little  Column  with  a  fanciful  top,  crowned  by 
a  smart  wire  basket  filled  with  roses,  marked  the 
grave,  I  concluded,  of  some  beautiful  young  girl 
of  15  or  1 6.  Lo  and  behold  !  it  was  placed  there 
to  commemorate  "  un  ancien  Magistral  de  France," 
aged  62.  The  most  interesting  are  Ney's  and  Labe"- 
doyere's,1  the  former,  a  solid  tomb  of  marble,  simply 
tells  that  Marshal  Ney,  Prince  of  La  Moskowa, 
is  below.  Both  were  rather  profusely  decorated 
with  wreaths  of  flowers,  it  being  the  custom  for  the 
friends  of  the  deceased  to  strew  from  time  to  time  the 
graves  with  flowers,  or  decorate  them  with  garlands. 
Soldiers  have  been  often  seen  weeping  over  these 
graves,  and  it  is  by  them  these  wreaths  were  placed. 
Ney's  had  just  received  its  tribute  of  a  beautiful 
garland  of  blue  cornflowers  :  and  the  other  a 

o 

1  Labedoyere,  General  (1786-1815).     Shot  at  Crenelle,  1815. 


300        BEFORE  AND   AFTER    WATERLOO 

Chaplet  of  Honeysuckle.  By  both  graves  were 
weeping  willows.  Mr.  Sotheby's  friend,  the  poet 
Delille,1  sleeps  beneath  a  cumbrous  mass  of  marble, 
within  which  his  wife  immerses  herself  once  a  week, 
to  manifest  sorrow  for  one  whose  incessant  tor- 
mentor I  am  told  she  was  during  his  life.  The 
inscriptions  were  for  the  most  part  commonplace. 
I  copied  out  a  few  of  the  best.  I  was  sorry  to 
observe  not  one  in  20  had  the  slightest  allusion 
to  Religion.  There  was  one  offering  which  par- 
ticularly attracted  my  attention  and  admiration. 
Over  a  simple  mound,  the  resting-place  of  a  little 
child,  were  scattered  white  flowers,  and  amongst 
them  a  bunch  of  cherries,  evidently  the  tribute  from 
some  other  little  child  who  had  thus  offered  up  that 
which  to  him  appeared  most  valuable.  The  ex- 
clusion of  the  selfish  principle  in  this  display  of 
sentiment  and  feeling  quite  delighted  me. 

The  day  after  we  visited  the  Louvre  it  was 
closed,  and  none  have  heen  admitted  since.  I 
believe  they  are  scratching  out  some  N's  or  Eagles. 
I  should  conceive  these  to  be  the  last  of  their 
species,  for  the  activity  and  extent  of  this  efface- 
ment  of  emblems  related  to  Napoleon  is  past  all 
belief.  In  a  picture  of  Boulogne  in  the  Luxem- 
burg, amongst  the  figures  in  the  foreground  was 
a  little  Buonaparte,  about  two  inches  high,  review- 
ing some  troops.  They  have  actually  changed  his 
features  and  figure,  and,  if  I  recollect  rightly, 
altered  his  cockade  and  Uniform.  ...  In  the 
1  French  poet  and  Academician,  1738-1813. 


1816]  HAIRDRESSER'S   NOTICE  301 

Musee  des  Arts  and  Metiers  are  some  models 
of  ships ;  even  these  were  obliged  to  strike  their 
Lilliputian  tri-colours  and  hoist  the  white  Ensign. 
And  now  Paris,  fare  thee  well.  .  .  .  Thou  art  a 
mixture  of  strange  ingredients.  "  Oh,"  said  the 
Hairdresser  who  was  cutting  Kitty's  hair  yesterday, 
"had  we  your  National  spirit  we  should  be  a  great 
people,  mais  c'est  1'Egoisme  qui  regne  a  Paris." 
Their  manner  is  quite  fascinating,  so  civil,  so 
polished.  The  people  are  like  the  Town,  and  the 
Town  is  like  a  Frenchman's  Chemise,  a  magnificent 
frill  with  fine  lace  and  Embroidery,  but  the  rest 
ragged.  The  frill  of  the  Thuilleries  and  Champs 
Elysees  are  perfect  fairylands,  the  streets  all  that 
is  execrable.  No  wonder  the  cleaners  of  boots  and 
shoes  are  in  a  state  of  perpetual  requisition.  In 
one  shop  I  saw  elevated  benches,  on  which  sat 
many  gentry  with  their  feet  upon  a  level  with  the 
cleaners'  noses,  where  they  sat  like  Statues,  and 
I  was  actually  induced  to  go  back  to  satisfy  myself 
that  they  were  real  men.  English  notices  are  fre- 
quent in  the  streets,  some  not  over  correct  in  style  ; 
for  example,  over  a  Hairdresser's  in  the  Palais 
Royal — "  The  Cabinet  for  the  cut  of  the  hairs." 

Mrs.  E.  Stanley  to  Lady  Maria  J.  Stanley. 

ST.  GERMAIN,  July  16,  1816. 

Surely  you  must  have  forgot  what  it  is  to  be 
divided  by  land  and  sea  from  what  you  love,  or 
when  you  were  abroad  you  left  nobody  behind 


302        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

whom  you  cared  about,  or  you  would  not  fancy 
that  I  should  not  find  time  or  inclination  to  read 
as  many  trifles  as  you  can  find  to  send,  or  that 
they  should  not  give  me  almost  as  much  pleasure, 
and  be  read  with  as  much  interest,  as  if  I  were 
shut  up  in  the  next  dungeon  to  Mr.  Bruce  at  La 
Force.  .  .  .  While  you  were  enjoying  the  view  of 
Beeston  Castle,  we  were  eating  strawberries  and 
cream  under  the  trees  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  on 
the  only  hot  day  we  have  had.  ...  I  am  in  no 
danger  of  forgetting  you,  and  if  I  have  not  written 
oftener,  it  has  only  been  because  Edward  got  the 
start  of  me  in  beginning  to  write  in  detail,  and  he  is 
so  inimitable  in  description  that  I  could  not  go  over 
the  same  ground  with  him.  ...  I  do  wish  I  could 
give  you  one  of  our  day's  amusement,  and  jump 
you  over  here  in  mind  and  body  to  leave  all  your 
cares  behind  you.  .  .  . 

At  last  we  have  bid  goodbye  to  Paris,  but  every 
day  seemed  to  bring  something  fresh  to  see,  and  we 
stayed  two  or  three  days  longer  than  we  intended 
yesterday  to  see  St.  Denis.  It  is  not  so  fine  as 
most  of  the  churches  we  saw  in  Holland,  but  the 
historical  interest  is  so  great  and  so  curious  that 
I  would  not  have  missed  seeing  it  for  the  world. 
Over  the  door  all  the  guillotined  figures  of  the 
Revolution  ;  in  the  church  the  repairs  which  were 
begun  by  Buonaparte,  now  finishing  by  Louis  ; 
every  stone  and  step  you  go  marked  by  some 
association  of  one  or  other  of  these  periods.  As 
Buonaparte's  own  power  increased,  his  respect  for 


1816]  THREE   GOLDEN  KEYS  303 

crowned  heads  and  authorities  increased,  I  suppose, 
and  so  he  had  put  up  Fleurs  de  Lys  himself  for  the 
Bourbons  in  one  part  of  the  church,  and  he  had 
prepared  a  vault  for  himself,  decorated  above  with 
bees  and  statues  of  the  six  Kings  of  France  who 
had  the  title  of  Emperor.  To  this  vault  he  had 
made  two  bronze  doors  with  gold  ornaments  and 
gold  lions'  heads,  one  of  which  flew  back  with  a 
spring,  and  discovered  three  keyholes,  to  which 
there  were  three  golden  keys.  The  Sacristy  he 
filled  with  chef  d'ceuvres  of  the  best  French  artists, 
representing  those  parts  of  the  History  of  France 
connected  with  St.  Denis  and  with  his  own  views 
of  Empire. 

The  beautiful  white  marble  steps  leading  to  the 
altar  beneath  which  the  seventh  Emperor  was  to 
be  laid  were  just  finished  when  Louis  XVIII.  came 
to  fill  the  tomb,  which  was  just  prepared,  with  the 
bones  of  Louis  XVI.,  to  depose  the  Emperor,  to 
complete  the  marble  pavement,  and  to  extend  the 
fiewrs  de  lys  over  the  whole  church. 

And  upon  the  stone  which  now  conceals  the 
entrance  to  the  vault  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme 
always  kneels  at  the  grave  of  her  father,  for  the 
fine  bronze  doors  are  deposed  also,  only,  I  believe, 
because  they  were  placed  there  by  Buonaparte,  and 
now  they  have  to  get  into  the  Vault  by  taking  up 
the  stone.  We  sfot  into  the  carriage  full  of  Buona- 

O  O 

parte,  returned  to  Paris,  and  then  got  out  again 
with  the  Murrays  at  Malmaison.  It  is  the  only 
enviable  French  house  I  have  seen  and  deserves 


304        BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 

everything  Edward  said  about  it,  even  without  the 
statues  and  half  the  pictures  which  are  taken  away. 
We  spent  three  or  four  hours  in  the  Thuilleries 
Gardens  on  Sunday.  Buonaparte  must  have  thought 
of  gilding  the  dome  of  the  Invalides  when  he  was 
walking  in  the  Jardin  des  Thuilleries,  it  suits  the 
whole  thing  so  exactly.  A  French  crowd  is  so 
gay  with  the  women's  shawls  and  flowers  that  they 
assimilate  well  with  the  real  flowers,  and  are  almost 
as  great  an  ornament  to  the  Garden.  A  shower 
came  on  just  as  we  were  standing  near  the  Palace, 
and  at  that  moment  the  guards  took  their  posts  as  a 
signal  the  King  was  going  to  Mass,  so  Edward  and 
I  followed  the  crowd  to  the  Salle  des  Marechaux 
(they  would  not  admit  Donald  because  he  had 
gaiters,  and  Edward  had  luckily  trowsers),  and 
there  we  saw  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  and  Monsieur  much  better  than  we 
had  done  the  Sunday  before,  with  all  the  trouble 
of  getting  a  ticket  for  admission  into  the  Chapel, 
and  being  squeezed  to  death  into  the  bargain.  His 
Majesty  is  more  like  a  Turtle  than  anything  else, 
and  shows  external  evidence  of  his  great  affection 
for  Turtle  soup.  His  walk  is  quite  curious.  One 
of  his  most  intimate  friends  says  that  in  spite  of  his 
devotion  Le  Roi  est  un  peu  philosophe.  We  staid 
on  Monday  to  see  a  review.  Donald  introduced 
us  to  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd,  who  have  lived  in 
France  the  last  14  years,  and  have  a  terrace  that 
overlooks  the  Boulevards,  so  there  we  sat  very 
commodiously  and  saw  the  King  and  the  Duchesses 


1816]  ADIEU,   PARIS!  305 

de  Berri  and  Angouleme,  in  an  open  Caleche, 
pass  through  the  double  row  of  troops  which 
lined  the  Boulevards  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  and  a  beautiful  sight  it  was.  Mr.  Boyd 
invited  me  to  a  party  at  his  house  in  the  coun- 
try, and  in  the  hopes  of  seeing  that  rara  avis, 
a  French  lady  or  gentleman,  I  said  yes.  So  I 
sent  for  a  hairdresser,  who  came  post  haste,  and 
amused  me  with  his  politesse,  and  Edward  with 
his  politique.  I  was  quite  sorry  I  could  not  have 
him  again. 

We  dined  with  the  Murrays,  and  then  went  on  to 
Mr.  Boyd,  where  I  found  myself  the  only  lady  there 
dressed  amongst  about  forty.  That  is  to  say,  their 
heads  and  tails  were  all  in  morning  costume  and 
mine  in  evening.  .  .  . 

I  must  go  back  one  more  day,  and  tell  you  how  I 
went  to  be  described  for  a  passport  to  La  Force  on 
Saturday,  and  how  I  thought  Mr.  Bruce  more  of  a 
hero  young  man  than  any  I  have  ever  seen.  I 
recollect  seeing  him  before,  and  thinking  him  a 
coxcomb,  but  a  few  years  have  mellowed  all  that 
into  a  very  fine  young  man. 

Making  every  allowance  for  seeing  him  in  his 
dungeon  in  La  Force,  I  think  you  would  be 
delighted  with  his  countenance.  He  spoke  his 
sentiments  with  manly  freedom,  and  yet  with  the 
liberality  of  one  who  thinks  it  possible  a  man  may 
differ  from  him  without  being  a  fool,  or  a  rascal. 
Lucy  and  Louisa  would  certainly  have  fallen  in 
love  with  his  fine  Roman  head,  which  his  prison 

20 


306        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 

costume  of  a  great  coat  and  no  neckcloth  showed 
to  great  advantage. 

And  now,  adieu  Paris !  At  2  o'clock  on  Wednes- 
day a  green  coach,  which  none  of  you  could  see 
without  ten  minutes'  laughing  at  least — three  horses 
and  a  postillion !  (what  would  I  give  just  to  drive 
up  to  Winnington  with  the  whole  equipage !) — 
carried  us  to  Versailles,  and  there  I  longed  for 
Louis  XIV.  as  much  as  for  Buonaparte  at  St. 
Cloud ;  for  one  cannot  fancy  any  one  living  in 
those  rooms  or  walking  in  those  gardens  without 
hoops  and  Henri  quatre  plumes.  If  one  could  but 
people  them  properly  for  a  couple  of  hours,  what 
a  delightful  recollection  it  would  be !  Versailles 
ought  to  be  seen  last.  It  is  so  magnificent  that 
every  other  thing  of  the  sort  is  quite  lost  in  the 
comparison.  I  am  glad  I  saw  Paris  and  the 
Tuilleries  and  St.  Cloud  first.  We  saw  the  Palace, 
and  then  we  dined,  and  then  we  set  out  for  the 
Trianon,  and  then  we  met  with  a  guide  who  enter- 
tained us  so  much  as  to  put  Louis  XIV.  and  all  his 
court  out  of  my  head.  Buonaparte  never  went  to 
Versailles  but  once  to  look  at  it,  but  at  the  Trianon 
he  and  Josephine  lived,  and  it  is  impossible,  in 
seeing  those  places,  not  to  feel  the  principal  interest 
to  be  in  the  inquiry — where  he  lived  ?  where  he  sat  ? 
where  he  walked  ?  where  he  slept  ? — so  accordingly 
we  asked  our  guide.  "  Monsieur,  je  ne  connais 
point  ce  coquin  la "  soon  told  us  what  we  were 
to  expect  from  him,  but  his  silence  and  his  loyalty, 
and  the  combat  between  his  hatred  of  the  English 


1816]  EAGLES  VERSUS  ANGELS  307 


and  his  hatred  of  Buonaparte  was  so  amusing  that 
we  soon  forgave  him  for  not  telling  us  anything 
about  him.  He  said  "  Bony  "  was  only  "  fit  to  be 
hanged."  "  Why  did  you  not  hang  him,  then  ?  " 
He  could  only  shrug  his  shoulders.  "We  should 
have  hung  him  for  you  if  he  had  come  to  England." 
"  Ma  foi !  Monsieur,  je  crois  que  non."  He  told  us 
the  stories  of  the  rooms  and  the  pictures  with  all 
the  vivacity  and  rapidity  of  a  Frenchman,  and  with 
pretty  little  turns  of  wit.  .  .  .  Donald  asked  him  if 
a  cabinet  in  one  of  the  rooms  had  not  been  given 
by  the  Empress  of  Russia  to  Buonaparte?  He 
instantly  seized  him  by  the  button  with  an  air  of 
triumph.  "  Tenez,  Monsieur,  quand  1'Empereur  de 
Russie  etait  ici,  il  a  vu  ce  Cabinet  et  a  dit ;  otez 
cette  Volaille  la  "  (pointing  to  the  compartment  in 
which  the  Imperial  Eagles  had  been  changed  into 
Angels).  "  Je  1'ai  donne"  aux  Fran^ais,  et  lui — il 
n'etait  pas  Fran9ais." 

In  all  the  royal  house  the  servants  are  equally 
impenetrable  on  the  subject  of  Buonaparte.  But 
sometimes  it  seems  put  on,  sometimes  they  really 
do  not  know  from  having  been  only  lately  put 
there,  but  this  man  was  a  genuine  Bourbonist  and 
a  genuine  Frenchman. 

We  just  got  to  St.  Germain  in  time  to  walk  on 
the  Terrace  before  evening  closed  in  over  the 
beautiful  view.  The  Palace  and  the  Town  put 
me  quite  in  mind  of  the  deserted  court  in  the 
"  Arabian  Nights."  .  .  . 


308        BEFORE   AND   AFTER  WATERLOO 


Edward  Stanley  to  his  Nieces.        Tuesday  morning. 

I  could  fill  another  letter  with  the  interesting 
things  we  saw  yesterday  at  St.  Denis  and  Mal- 
maison,  but  we  are  off  in  an  hour,  and  it  is  possible 
you  may  hear  no  more  from  these 

HAPPY  TRAVELLERS. 


ALDERLEY  RECTORY. 


Index 


ABBEVILLE,  Louis  XVIII.  at,  244 
Abercromby,  Colonel,  280 
Aisne,  river,  145-161 
Aix  la  Chapelle,  146,  183,  191,  194, 

205 

Albania,  ship  at  Antwerp,  203 
Albinus,  German  anatomist,  232 
Alderley,  10,  12,  15,  16,  17-21,  24, 

68>  74>  75>  96>  120,  236,  249,  283, 

296 

Alderley  Church,  102 
Alderley  Edge,  16 
Alderley  Park,  14 
Alderley  Rectory,  15-17 
Alessandria,  Plain  of  Marengo,  49 
Alexander  I.,  Emperor  of  Russia, 

76,  82-85,  93.  J33>  !77»  178,  222, 

229,  237,  244,  245 
Algeciras  Bay,  53 
Alhama,  Spain,  58,  63 
Alhambra,  The,  59,  61,  63,  64 
Alien  Office,  The,  82 
Alkmaar,  205 
"Allemagne,"     By    Madame     de 

Stael,  128 

Allied  Sovereigns,  82,  95,  152 
Allies,   105,    115,    116,    126,    156, 

160-162,  168,  196,  197,  236,  237, 

242 


Alps,  57 

Ambassador,  English,  Sir  Charles 

Stuart,  112 
Ambassador,  Swedish,  M.  de  Stael, 

132 
Ambolle,   Baron  d',  at  Fontaine- 

bleau,  153 
Ambuscade,  picture  of  capture  of 

the  frigate,  136 
Amiens,  Peace  of,  25,  73 
Amsterdam,  211,  222-224,  22^ 
Andernach  on  the  Rhine,  187 
Angerstein  Collection,  113 
Anglesey  Society,  10 
Anglesey,  Lord,  his  leg  buried  at 

Waterloo,  261 

Angouleme,  Duchesse  d',  289 
Antiquiera,  Spain,  60,  64 
Antwerp,  199,  204,  206,  208,  209, 

210,  233,  253 
Antwerp  Gate,  Bergen  op  Zoom, 

214,  217 
Apreece,   Mrs.,  afterwards    Lady 

Davey,  81 
Argonaufa,  Spanish  vessel,  51,  53, 

56 

Ashbourne,  248 
Augereau,  General,  238 
Austerlitz,  138,  269,  287 


310 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 


Austria,  179,  181 

Austria,  Emperor  of,  135,  237 

BACHARACH  on  the  Rhine,  172 
184,  185 

Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  93 

Barcelona,  50,  52,  54,  55,  60,  69,  70 

Barclay  de  Tolly,  116 

Baring,  Major,  268 

Barthelemy,  237 

Bastille,  295 

Batavia,  193 

Beauharnais,  Eugene,  Viceroy  of 
Italy,  132,  134 

Bees,  Napoleon's,  150 

Beeston  Castle,  301 

Belleville,  115,  116,  117 

Belluno,  Due  de,  see  Victor 

Benedictines,  head  cook  to  con- 
vent of,  41 

Beresford,  Viscount,  Marshal,  74 

Bergen  op  Zoom,  199,  208-212 

Berghem,  Dutch  painter  (1624- 
1683),  20 1 

Berri,  Due  de,  139,  140,  152,  282, 
289 

Berri,  Duchesse  de,  289,  305 

Berry  au  Bac,  145,  163,  164 

Berthier,  Marshal,  Prince  de 
Wagram,  138,  149 

Bertrand,  General,  269 

Bessborough,  Earl  of,  86 

Bessieres,  Marshal,  Due  d'   Istria, 

137 

Beveland,  South,  210 
Bid  well,  122 

Bingen  on  the  Rhine,  183 
"  Birds,  Familiar  History  of,"  by 

Bishop  Stanley,  17 
Bittern,  H.M.S.,  67 
Blucher,   85,  86,  88,  89,  93,   145, 

263 
Boher,  French  sculptor  (d.  1825), 

132 


Bois  de  Boulogne,  177 

Bolero,  Spanish  dance,  60 

Bonn,  music  on  the  Rhine,  188 

Boodle's  Club,  33 

Borneo  Mission,  23 

Borodino,  177 

Boulogne,  107-252 

Bourbons,  The,  78,  107,  237,  284, 

288-292 

Boyd,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  304 
Brabant,  181 
Breda,  209,  217,  218,  226 
Brisbane,  Sir  Thomas,  at  Valen- 
ciennes, 279,  283 

Brise-Maison,  General,  see  Maison 
British  character,  195 
British  soldiers,  166 
Britomart,  H.M.S.,  18 
Brock,  Holland,  227 
Brooke,      Sir      James,       English 

traveller,    Rajah    of    Sarawack 

(1803-1868),  23 
Bruce,  Michael,  the   Englishman 

who  helped  Lavalette  to  escape, 

293,  294 

Bruges,  247,  258,  260,  273 
Brussels,  193,  195,  197,   199,  200, 

208,  209,  233,  264,  269,  274,  277 
Buiksloot,  North  Holland,  226 
Billow,  Marshal,  145 
Buonaparte,   Napoleon,  Emperor, 

34,  35.  37.  4°,  46>  47,  5°,  74,  9A 
99,  loo,  118,  120,  121,  130,  138- 
140,  148,  152-154,  162,  175,  180, 
238,  241,  244,  266,  271,  275,  281, 
282,  288,  295,  296,  300,  302,  303, 
304,  306-307 

Buonaparte  family,  237 

Buonaparte,  Louis,  King  of  Hol- 
land, 225 

Buonaparte,  Lucien,  83 

Burgundy,  46 

"  Bustle's  Banquet,"  by  Rev.  ?". 
Stanley,  17 


INDEX 


311 


Buttereax,  plains  of,  Lyons,  43 
"  Butterfly's  Ball,"  by  Sir  H.  Ros- 

coe,  17 

Buvin  d'  Enfer,  298 
Byng's  Brigade,  263 
Byron,  Lord,  79 

CADIZ,  53,  61,  68 

Cafe  des   Mille  Colonnes,   Paris, 

142,  281 

Calick,  Russia,  174 
"  Calif e  Voleur,  Le"  Ballet,  88 
Cambray,  247,  279,  283 
Cambridge,  n,  12,  25,  40,50,81, 

247,  248,  250 
Campo  Formio,  Treaty  of  (1797), 

243 

Cannes,  242 
Can  ova,  132 
Canterbury,  249 
Cardinals  at  Fontainebleau,  152 
Carleton,  Mr.,  251 
Carlton  House,  83 
Carnival  of  Venice,  240 
Caroline  of  Naples,  289 
Carousel,  Place  de,  37,  136,  139 
Castlereagh,  Lord,  87 
Catacombs,  Paris,  143,  286,  298 
Catalonia,  56 
Catherine,       Grand- Duchess      of 

Russia,  see  Oldenburg 
Chalons,  41-43,  146,  156,  168 
Chamber  of  Representatives,  130 
Chambord,  Comte  de,  139 
Champagne,  41,  46 
Champlain,  Lake,  238 
Champs  Elysees,  119,  139,  301 
Charenton,  near  Paris,  116 
Charlemont,  Anne,  Lady,  daughter 

and  heiress  of  William  Berming- 

ham,  of  Ross  Hill,  co.  Galway 

(d.  1876),  aged  95,  132 
Charleroi,  276 
Charles  IV.,  King  of  Spain,  64,  70 


Chateau  Thierry,  145,  157 
Chatham,  Earl  of,  203 
Chatillon,  41 

Chavignon,  near  Laon,  161 
Chichester,  Thomas,  2nd  Earl  of 

244 

"  Childe  Harold,"  80 
Cholmondeley,  Miss,  82 
Churchill,  Major,  95 
Clancarty,  Lord,  Ambassador,  82. 

233 
Clarke,   Marshal,   Due  de  Feltre, 

243 
Clinton,  I.ady  Louisa,  daughter  of 

Lord  Sheffield,  76,  251 
Clinton,  General  Sir  Henry,  75 
Clinton,     General     Sir   William, 

married  Lady  Louisa  Holroyd, 

75 

Coblentz,  186 

Cole,  Sir  Lowry,  279,  283 

Cologne,  172,  186,  190 

Colonne,  Vendome,  no 

Combermere,  Lord,  96 

Compiegne,  281,  283,  284 

"  Comte  de  Cely,"  78 

Conclave  of  St.  Peter  at  Fontaine- 
bleau, 152 

Congress  of  Vienna,  235 

Constant,  Napoleon's  valet,  152 

Constantine,  Grand  Duke,  178 

Constantine,  Grand  Duchess,  240 

Consul,  The  First,  26,  37,  73 

Cooke,  Major-General,  210,  211, 
214 

Coote,  Sir  Evelyn,  259 

Corbeny,  France,  163,  164 

"  Corinne,"  by  Mdme.  de  Stae'l,  79 

Cork,  Lady,  86 

Cornegliano,  Due  de,  see  Moncey 

Coronation,  The,  165 

Corps  Legislatif,  129,  135 

Corte,  La,  260 

Cotton  trade,  Rouen,28 


312 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 


Court  dress  necessary,  69 

Court  etiquette,  Buonaparte's  ten- 
acity as  to,  37 

Court  Martial,  Gibraltar,  in  1802 
66 

Craon  or  Craonne,  145,  156,  163 

Craufurd,  Donald,  of  Auchinanes, 
85,  246,  265,  276 

Croix,  St.  Louis,  291 

Cross,  Mr.  John,  98,  99 

Crosses,  roadside,  in  Spain,  signs 
of  murders  committed,  59 

Curtis,  Sir  William,  88 

Cutts  Inn,  Wilmslow,  hamlet 
near  Alderley,  162 

DALMATIE,  Due  de,  see  Soult 
D'Angely,  see  Regnaud 
Dantzig,  Due  de,  see  Lefebre 
Davenport,  E.  D.,  of  Capesthorne, 

163 
Davoust,  Marshal,  Prince  d'  Eck- 

mu'hl,  137 
Davy,  Lady,  79,  81 
Davy,  Sir  Humphrey,  79,  81 
De  Lille,  poet,  300 
Dendrich,   boundary  France   and 

Austria,  179 
Denia,  Spain,  71 
De    Non,     French     artist    under 

Napoleon,  295,  296 
Desaix,  General,  killed  at  Marengo 

(1800),  50 
Dijon,  41 
"Dinner      of      the     Dogs,"      or 

"  Bustle's  Banquet,"  17 
Directory,  The,  50 
Doge  of  Genoa,  50 
Douglas,   Hon.    Frederick,   inter- 
view with  Napoleon,  240,  241 
Dover,  187 

Dow,  Gerard,  Dutch  painter,  38 
Dragoons  at  Rouen  (1802),  30 
Dresden,  Battle  of  (1813),  76 


Duels      between      Russian      and 

French  officers,  107 
Du  Mare,  French  professor,  124 
Dumeril,  Andre,  French  physician, 

124 

Dumolard,  French  politician,  130 
Du  Pont,  General,  139 
Dutch  ark,  202 
Dutch  carving,  205 
Dutch  cleanliness,  227,  231 
Dutch  family,  253 
Dutch  guide,  230 
Dutch  impenetrability,  224 
Dutch  road,  209 
Dutch  table  d'hote,  226 
Dykes,  marvellous,  228,  229 

EAGLE  AND  CHILD,  inn  at  Alderley, 
272 

Eagles,  Napoleon's,  no,  147,  150, 
269,  282,  300,  307 

Eckmiihl,  Prince  d',  see  Davoust 

Ecole  Polytechnique,  116,  175 

Edridge,  H.,  painter,  139 

Egerton,  Colonel,  280 

Egerton,  Mr.,  87 

Egypt,  42 

Ehrenbreitstein,  187 

Ehrenfels,  Castle  of,  184 

Elba,  46,  75,  159 

Elephant,  fountain,  295-296 

Embden,  31 

Emigrants,  French,  18 

Emperor's  abdication,  75 

Emperor  Alexander,  see  Alexander 

Emperor  of  Austria,  135 

Emperor  Napoleon,  see  Buona- 
parte 

Empress  Josephine,  see  Josephine- 
Empress  Maria  Louisa,  see  Maria 
Louisa 

Empress  of  Russia,  307 

Enghien,  Due  d',  134,  245 

Entomologist,  185 


INDEX 


313 


Entomology,  17,  124 
Ephemera,  186 
Etruria,  King  of,  50,  52 
Eugene  Beauharnais,  see  Beauhar- 

nais 

Executions,  43,  44 
Ex-Imperial  Guard,  148 

PAGAN,  Mr.,  46 

Fandangos,  60 

Fanshawe,  Catherine,  77,  78 

Felix  Meritus,  Dutch  museum,  225 

Feltre,  Duke  of,  see  Clarke 

Ferdinand   VII.,   King  of  Spain, 

239 

Ferreant,  Place  de,  Lyons,  43 
Flanders,  74 
Fleurs  de  Lys,  303 
Flushing,  210 
Foljambe,  Mr.,  249 
Fontainebleau,  145-146,  149,  152 
For  bach,  179 

Forbes,  Lady  Elizabeth,  240 
Fountain  Elephant,  295-296 
Frascati,  33  34,  39 
French  emigrants,  18 
Fribourg,  170 
"  Fugio  ut  Fulgor,"  103 

GARDE  IMPERIALS,  107 

Gardes  d'Honneur,  148 

Garrison  of  Gibraltar,  66,  67,  70 

Gazettes,  105 

Genappes,  270 

Generalife  at  Granada,  59 

Geneva,  35,  40,  43,  46-47,  49,  55 

Genoa,  47,  50 

George  Street,  90 

Ghent,  274-275 

Gibbon, 15 

Gibraltar,  25,  55,  57,  60,  6 1,  65,  71 

Glenbervie,  Lord  and   Lady,  236, 

240 
Goat  curricles,  222 


Goat  gigs,  233 

Godoy,  Emanuel,  Prince  of  Peace, 

64,70 

Gore,  General,  211 
Gorum,  220-222 
Goths,  293 

Graham,  Sir  Thomas,  207,  213 
Granada,  57,  59,  60,  62,  66 
Grand  Tour,  25 

Gronow,  Memoirs  of  Captain,  107 
Grosvenor  Place,  39 
Grosvenor,  Lord,  113 
Guarda  Costas,  68 
Guido,  painter,  38 
Guignes,  145, 153,  154 
Guillotine,  The,  43 

HAARLEM,  230,  231 

Hague,  The,  112,  233 

Hannibal,  The  ship,  53 

Hardwicke,  Earl  of,  112 

Hare,  Rev.  Augustus,  16 

Hare,  Mrs.  Augustus,  Maria  Ley- 
cester,  16 

Hare,  Augustus  J.  C.,  16 

Harlequin  and  Punch,  297 

Harris,  Captain,  74 

Haslar  Hospital,  98 

Haiiy,  mineralogist,  124 

Havre,  94,  96,  99, 100,  103,  105 

Haye,  Sainte,  La,  268 

Hazard,  Rue  du,  Paris,  109,  143 

Heber,  Reginald,  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta (1783-1826),  16,  90 

Hodnet,  16 

Holland,  76,  159,  200,  226,  302 

Holland,  Dr.,  86 

Holroyd,  Lady  Maria  Josepha, 
see  also  Stanley,  14 

Holyhead  Harbour,  255 

Holyhead  Island,  10,  17 

Holywell,  Alderley,  16 

Hookham's,  93 

Hopital  de  la  Charite,  45 


314         BEFORE  AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 


Hopital  des  Invalides,  282 
Hermitage,   Forest    of   Fontaine- 

bleau,  147 

Hibberts,  the,  132,  168 
Highlake,  Hoylake,   Cheshire,  55, 

69 
Hill,  Rowland,  General  Lord  Hill, 

9S.96 

Hobart  Town,  Tasmania,  18 
Hobbema,  Dutch  painter  (d.  1699), 

20 1 

Hodgson,  Dean  of  Carlisle,  128 
Hotel  de  Boston,  Paris,  35 
Hotel  des  Etrangers,  Paris,  143 
Hotel  du  Pare,  Lyons,  43 
Hotel    in    the   Wood,    Haarlem, 

230 

Hougoumont,  263,  265,  266,  267 
Hulot,  General,  76 
Hundred  Days,  The,  244 
Hussey,  Edward,of  Scotney  Castle, 

25,  26,  32,  41,  71 
Hutchinson,  Captain,  293,  294 
Huxley,  Professor,  18 
Hyeres,  48 

ICELANDIC  EXPEDITION,  made  by 
Sir  John  Stanley,  7th  Bart.  (1788), 

56 

"  Ida  of  Athens,"  story  written  by 
Lady  Morgan  at  Penrhos,  Holy- 
head.  Her  study  "Attica"  so 
called  to  present  day,  232 

Imperial  Chasseurs,  107 

India  House  illumination  (1814), 
84 

Infanta  of  Spain,  Queen  of  Etruria, 

52 

Invalides,  Hotel  des,  49,  115,  282 
Istria,  Due  d',  see  Bessieres 

LA  BELLE  ALLIANCE,  263,  267 
Labedoyere,  General,  299 
Laeken,  Palace  of,  275 


Lady  Penrhyn's  cottages,  allusion 
to  the  model  village  of  Llan- 
degai  in  Wales,  227 

Lafayette,  General,  Marquis  de, 
126 

La  Haye,  Sainte,  268 

Laird,  English  Consul,  Malaga,  58 

Lamb,  Lady  Caroline,  86 

Lansdowne,  Lord,  78 

Laon,  145,  146  156,  161-163 

"  La  Reyna  Louisa,"  54 

Lavalette,  General,  293 

Le  Brun,  38 

Lefebre,  Marshal,  Due  de  Dantzig, 

138 

Leghs,  The,  of  High  Legh,  285 

Leghorn,  50-52 

Leigh  ton,  Sir  Baldwin,  Bart.,  of 
Loton,  68 

Leipzic,  Battle  of,  170,  177 

Leith,  The  John  of  Leith 

Leith,  the  Emperor  sails  from,  56 

L'Ettorel,  Professor,  124 

Levanter,  east  wind,  Mediter- 
ranean, 71 

Leycester,  Edward  Penrhyn, 
brother  of  Mrs.  E.  Stanley,  76, 
8 1,  95,  246,  247,  252 

Leycester,  Hugh,  uncle  of  Mrs. 
Edward  Stanley,  32 

Leycester,  Kitty,  see  Mrs.  E. 
Stanley,  15 

Leycester,  Maria,  Mrs.  Augustus 
Hare,  15,  16 

Leycester,  Oswald,  Mrs.  E.  Stan- 
ley's father,  15 

Leycester,  Ralph,  261 

Leycesters  of  Toft,  15 

Leyden,  231,  232 

Libraries,  Public,  38 

Liege,  193,  195,  197 

Lille,  146 

Lillo,  fort  in  Holland,  203 

Lind,  Jenny,  22 


INDEX 


315 


Lindsay,  Lady  Charlotte,  236,  240 

Linois,  Comte  de,  53 

Linz  on  the  Rhine,  192 

Lisbon,  72 

Lisle,  196 

Liverpool,  36,  43,  51 

Liverpool,  Lord,  87 

Llandaff,  Dean  Vaughan  of,  19 

Lodi,  Battle  of,  136 

Loja,  in  Spain,  60 

London,  81,  82 

Lorich  on  Rhine,  184 

Louis  Buonaparte,  King  of  Hol- 
land, see  Buonaparte 

Louis,  King  of  Etruria,  50 

Louis  XIV.,  306 

Louis  XVI.,  303 

Louis  XVIII.,  78,  106,  107,  150, 
177,  225,  235,  243,  271,  282,  290, 
292,  303-304 

Louisa  Stanley,  see  Stanley 

Louvel,  assassin  of  the  Duke  de 
Berri,  139 

Louvre,  The,  38,  113,  274,  300 

Lowe,  Rev.  Mr.,  223 

Lucien  Buonaparte,  see  Buona- 
parte 

Lucy  Stanley,  see  Stanley 

Lugai,  Professor,  232 

Lutzen,  Battle  of,  170 

Lyne  and  Co.,  Lisbon,  72 

Lyons,  40,  42,  43-46,  47 

MACCLESFIELD,  Cheshire,  221 
Macdonald,     Marshal,      Due     de 

Tarente,  196,  244 
Macon,  42 
Madrid,  69,  71,  72 
Maine,  The  River,  182 
Maison,  General,  "  Brise-Maison," 

197 

Malaga,  Mole  of,  57,  61,  62,  64,  68 
Malines,  Mechlin,  201,  202 
Malmaison,  130,  131,  134,  297 


Manchester,  85 

Marcet,  Mrs.,  78 

Marengo,  Battle  of,  49,  1 19 

Maria  Josepha  Holroyd,  Lady,  see 
Holroyd  and  Stanley 

Marie  Louise,  Empress,  74,  240, 
242,  281,  284 

Marlborough,  Duke  of,  biography 
by  order  of  Napoleon,  297 

Marly,  Aqueduct  of,  133 

Marmont,  Marshal,  Due  de  Raguse, 
106,  116-118,  126,  135,  138,  145, 
177 

Marshals,  The,  112,  135,  151,  195, 
238,  see  also  under  Bessieres, 
Davoust,  Berthier,  Clarke,  Jour- 
dan,  Lefebre,  Macdonald,  Mar- 
mont, Massena,  Moncey,  Mortier, 
Murat,  Ney,  Soult,  Victor 

Martin,  Mr.,  122 

Massena,  Marshal,  Due  de  Rivoli, 

138 

Mathew,  Father,  21 
Matthews,  Montague,  37 
Maubenge,  271,  278 
MaudesJey's  engines,  91 
Mausthurm,  or  Mouse  Turret,  184 
Mayence,  146,  159,  180,  182 
McDonald,  Captain,  298 
Meaux,  145,  153-156 
Medusa,  English  frigate,  50 
Melbourne,  Lord,  19,  86 
Melun,  145,  146 
"  Memorials  of  a  Quiet  Life,"  by 

Augustus  Hare,  16 
Meteoric       stones,      presentation 

sword  made  from,  93 
Metsu,    Gabriel,     Dutch     painter 

(1615-1658),  38 
Metz,  146,  169,  I7$-175>  l8° 
Mieris,  Dutch  painter  (1635-1681), 

38 
Milton's  mnlberry-tree,  40 

Minorca,  67,  70 


316 


BEFORE   AND   AFTER   WATERLOO 


Moncey,  Marshal,  Due  de  Corne- 

gliano,  137-139 
Mons,  271-273 
Montmartre,   105,  108,   no,   115- 

"7,  175 

Montserrat,  Lady  of,  56 
Mont  St.  Jean,  Waterloo,  262 
Moors,  The,  62 
Moreau,  General,  76 
Moreau,  Madame,  76,  78,  90 
Morgan,  Lady,  232 
Morritt,  Mr.,  of  Rokeby,  87 
Mortier,  Marshal,  Due  de  Treviso, 

7>  W,  144 
Moscow,  174 

Moskowa,  Prince  de,  see  Ney 
Munchausen,  Baron,  117 
Murat,  Joachim,  King  of  Naples, 

138 
Murrays,  The,  285,  290,  297,  298, 

3°3 

Mutiny  at  Gibraltar,  66 
Muxham,  near  Antwerp,  207 

N.,  erasure  of  Napoleon's  initial 
(1814-1816),  110-300 

Naard,  Holland,  220 

Naples,  55,  71 

Naples,  the  King  of,  see  Murat 

Napoleon,  26,  73-83,  107,  111-113, 
126,  134,  145,  146,  164,  176,  181, 
186,  187,  196,  199,  205,  206,  221, 
223,  235,  242-245,  267-269,  288, 
289,  295 

National  Schools,  22 

Nazareth,  151 

Necker,  Minister  to  Louis  XVI. ,79 

Nelson's  Pillar,  Dublin,  no 

Netherlands,  146,  181,  237,  244 

New  Guinea,  18 

New  Zealand,  18 

Ney,  Marshal,  Prince  de  la 
Moskowa,  137,  299 

Nightingale,  Miss,  19 


Nightingale,    Dr.,     at    Alderley, 

126 

Nivelle  Road,  265,  276 
"  Nobles  de  Campagne,"  241 
Norfolk,  20 
Normandy,  46 
North,   Lady  Catherine,  married 

Lord  Glenbervie,  191 
North,  Hon.  F.,  191,  236 
North  Island  of  New  Zealand,  18 
North  Sea,  18 
Norwich,  Bishop  of,  see  E.  Stanley, 

19-22,  24 

Nottingham  Castle,  249 
Novi,  Northern  Italy,  50 

OLDENBURG  bonnets,  101,  106,  200 
Oldenburg,  Duchess,  Catherine  of, 

83,  90,  92,  98,  178 
"Ologies,"  Humorous  Sketches  by 

E.  S.,  17 

O'Neil,  Miss,  actress,  286 
Orange,  Prince  of,  208,  233,  254 
Orange,  Princess  of,  231 
Ostade,    Adrien,    Dutch    painter, 

20 1 
Ostend,  251,  253,  255,  258,  259 

PALAIS  ROYAL,  119,  281,  285 
Palmer,  Mr.,  33 
Pantin,  France,  116 
Paris,  29,  31,  33,  34-35,  37-40,  73, 
74,  76,  85, 106, 108,  109,  112-118, 
134.  135.  J43.  249,  277,  285 
Parker,  Mrs.,  of  Astle,  137 
Parry,  Sir  Edward,  K.C.B.,  arctic 
navigator,  m.  Isabella,  daughter 
of  Sir  John  Stanley,  254 
Peace,  Prince  of,  see  Godoy 
"  Peacock  at  Home,  The,"  17 
Penrhos,  Holyhead,  10 
Perignan,  General,  137 
Peter  the  Great,  House  of,  226 
Petit,  Madame,  French  actress,  33 


INDEX 


317 


Pevensey,  Lord,  248 
Pierre  Suisse,  ancient  castle  near 
Lyons,  destroyed  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, 45 
Pisa,  51,  52 

Place  Buonaparte,  Lyons,  43 
Place  Belle  Cour,  Lyons,  43 
Platoff,  Russian  General,  89 
Poissardes,  Havre,  101 
Polytechnique,  Ecole,  see  Ecole 
Pope  Pius  VII.,  46 
Porto  Ferraro,  Elba,  46-53 
Potter,  Paul,  Dutch  animal  painter 

(1625-1654),  201 

Praams,  Flotilla  of,  at  Havre, 
intended  for  the  invasion  of 
England,  100 

Prussia,  Frederick  William,  King 
of,  91,  92,  152,  153,  177,  192,  237 
Prussia,  Louisa,  Queen  of,  178 
Pulteney  Hotel,  London,  85 

"  QUEEN,"  H.M.S.,  23 
Quiverain    frontier,    France   and 
Belgium,  278 

RADNOR  MERE,  at  Alderley,  252 
Raguse,  Due  de,  see  Marmont 
Rambouillet,  Seine  et  Oise,  74 
Ramsgate,  249 
Raphael,  38,  133 
Rattlesnake,  H.M.S.,  18,  23 
Recamier,  Madame,  33,  126 
Regnaud,     St.     Jean     d'Angely, 

119 

Reign  of  Terror,  The,  26 
Rembrandt,  38,  225 
Revolution,  The,  27,  35,  48,  126 
Rheims,  146,  165,  168 
Rhine  Castles,  144,  172,  186 
Riddel,  Captain,  60 
Rivoli,  Due  de,  see  Massena 
Robespierre,  Maximilian,  42,  48 
Rokeby,  Mr.  Morritt,  of,  87 


Romainville,  116 

Rome,  55,  71 

Rome,  King  of,  sent  to  Rambouillet, 

74 ;  in  uniform  at  three  years 

old,   141  ;    four  goat  carriages 

ordered  for  him,  223 
Roncour,  Madame,  actress,  114 
Ronstan  the  Mameluke,  152 
Rotterdam,  223,  234 
Rouen,  27,  29,  31,  35,  36,  103,  104, 

105,  120,  253 

Rowland  Hill,  see  Lord  Hill 
Royals,  the  regiment,  67 
Rubens,  38,  205,  274 
Rue  Aux  Ours,  36 
"  Rule  Britannia,"  99 
Russia,  Empress  of,  307 
Russia,  Emperor  of,  see  Alexander 

SAARBRUCK,  195 

Saardam,  228 

Saas,  258 

St.  Andrew,  281 

St.  Andrew's  Hall,  Norwich,  21 

St.  Appollonius,    chapel    on    the 

Rhine,  188 
St.  Avoid,  German  Lorraine,  178, 

179 

St.  Bernard's  Pass,  49 
St.    Cloud,    special    residence   of 

Napoleon,  140,  306 
St.  Denis,  31,  116,  297,  302,  308 
St.  Germain,  The  Terrace,  307 
St.  Helena,  266,  269 
St.  James'  Street,  84 
St.  Jean  d'Angely,  see  Regnaud 
St.  Jean  de  Luz,  166 
St.  John's,  Cambridge,  12,  247 
St.  Lawrence,  processional  figure, 

280 
St.  Michel,  village    near    Havre, 

ICO 

St.  Roque,  Spain,  65 
Salamanca,  Battle  of,  279 


318 


Salvator  Rosa,  Neapolitan  painter 

(1615-1673),  39 
Saumarez,  Admiral,  53 
Scheldt,  204 
Scheveningen,  fishing  village  near 

the  Hague,  233 
Schwartzenberg,  74,  145 
Scotney  Castle,  Kent,  property  of 

E.  Hussey,  Esq.,  25 
Scott,  John,  262 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  15,  262 
Scovell,  Sir  George,  247,  279,  283 
Senate,  77,  78 
Serinyer,  240 
Serurier,  General,  137 
Seville,  59 
Sheffield,  Lady  (Lady  Anne  North), 

191 
Sheffield,  John  B.  Holroyd,  First 

Lord,  14,  74,  75,  112,  235,  236, 

240,  242,  245-248 
Sheffield  Place,  247 
Shute,  surgeon,  42 
Sicard,  Abbe,  founder   Deaf  and 

Dumb  School,  Paris,  298 
Siddons,  Mrs.,  33 
Skerret,  Major -General,  211 
Smith,  Sydney,  15 
Soignies,  Forest  of,  261,  264 
Soissons,  145,  156,  159,  161-163 
Sotheby,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  285,  298, 

300 
Soult,  Marshal,  Due  de  Dalmatic, 

74. 138 

South  Stack  Rocks,  Holyhead,  17 
Spain,  26,  55,  59,  63,  66,  69,  239 
Spanish  Funds,  239 
Stael,  Auguste  de,  127 
Stael,  Madame  de,  76,  78,  79,  97, 

IIO-H2,  125 

Stael,  Mademoiselle  de,  127 
Stafford,  Lord,  113 
Stanley,  Sir  John,  6th   Bart.,  m. 

Margaret,  daughter  and  heiress 


of  Hugh  Owen  of  Penrhos,  1763, 
10 

Stanley,  Lady  Margaret  Owen, 
born  1742,  10 

Stanley,  Sir  John  T.,  7th  Bart.,  ist 
Lord  Stanley  of  Alderley,  m. 
1796  Lady  Maria  Josepha  Hol- 
royd, daughter  of  Lord  Sheffield, 

15" 

Stanley,  Lady  Maria  Josepha,  15, 
26,  74,  76,  78,  84,  89,  96,  235, 
248,  260,  273,  281,  301 

Stanley,  Edward,  naturalist  and 
ornithologist,  son  of  Sir  John 
Stanley,  6th  Bart. ;  born  1779 ; 
entered  St.  John's,  Cambridge, 
1798  ;  wrangler,  1802  ;  Rector 
of  Alderley,  1805  to  1837 ;  Vice- 
President  of  British  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
1836  ;  Bishop  of  Norwich,  1837  ; 
died,  1849,  9-24 

Stanley,  Mrs.  Edward,  Kitty, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Oswald 
Leycester,  of  Stoke  upon  Tern, 
15,  22,  82 

Stanley,  Owen,  eldest  son  of 
Bishop  Stanley,  17,  23,  140, 
190,  222 

Stanley,  Charles  Edward,  2nd  son 
of  ibid.,  19 

Stanley,  Arthur  Penrhyn,  Dean 
of  Westminster,  3rd  son  of 
ibid.,  10,  19,  23 

Stanley,  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of 
Bishop  Stanley,  19 

Stanley,  Catherine,  2nd  daughter 
of  ibid. ;  m.  C.  Vaughan, 
Master  of  the  Temple,  and 
Dean  of  Llandaff,  19 

Stanley,  Rianette,  daughter  of  Sir 
John,  7th  Bart.,  and  Lady  M.  J. 
Stanley,  277 

Stanley,    Lucy,   2nd   daughter  of 


INDEX 


319 


ibid. ;  in.  Captain  Marcus  Hare, 
R.N.,  264,  305 

Stanley,  Louisa  Dorothea,  3rd 
daughter  of  ibid.,  249,  250,  293, 

297>  305 

Stanley,  Isabella,  4th  daughter  of 
ibid,  j-  m.  1826  Sir  Edward 
Parry,  K.C.B.,  Arctic  Navigator, 
254.  283 

Stanley,  Louisa,  daughter  of  Sir 
John  T.  Stanley,  6th  Bart.,  and 
Margaret  Owen  of  Penrhos : 
m.  1802  Sir  Baldwin  Leighton, 
Bart.,  68 

Stanley,  Lady  Charlotte,  daughter 
of  i3th  Earl  of  Derby ;  m. 
1823  Edward  Leycester  Pen- 
rhyn,  246 

Stanmer  Park,  property  of  Earl  of 
Chichester,  243-244 

Stockholm,  170 

Stoke-upon-Tern,  Mrs.  E.  Stan- 
ley's early  home,  15,  115 

Strasburg,  182 

Stuart,  Sir  Charles,  afterwards 
Lord  Stuart  de  Rothesay,  105, 
112,  113,  120-122,  160 

Swedenborg,  194 

Sydney,  18 

Sydney,  Lord,  86 

TADMOR,  Palmyra,  152 

Talleyrand  -  Perigord,  Prince  de 
Benevento,  French  statesman 
and  diplomatist,  1754-1838, 
Ambassador  to  Great  Britain 
(1830),  237 

Talma,  French  tragic  actor,  32, 
114,  240,  286-7 

Tangiers,  60 

Tarentum,  Due  de,  see  Macdonald 

Tarleton  and  Rigge,  43 

Tartana,  Mediterranean  vessel,  57 

Tasmania,  19 


Temple,  Paris  prison,  31 
Teniers,  Dutch  painter,  201 
Tennant,  Mr.,  92,  93    ' 
Terror,  H.M.S.,  18 
Tets  von  Grondam,  Mdine.,  229 
Tezart,  Paris  banker,  36 
Theatres,  Paris,  33,  39 
Thuilleries,  37,   113,  121,135,304, 

306 

Titian,  painter,  38 
Toft  Hall,  Knutsford,  15 
Toledo,  59 

Tomkinson,  Miss,  279 
Toulon,  70 

Tousein,  Russian  General,  177 
Towers,  round  towers  at  Laon,  162 
Trappe,  La,  Monk  of,  soldier  in 

Napoleon's  army,  170 
Treaty  of  Paris,  146 
Trechschuyt,  Dutch  barge,  225 
Treviso,  Due  de,  see  Mortier 
Trianon,  140,  306 
Troyes,  Champagne,  41 
Trueman,  Mr.,  259 
Tunno,  Miss,  a  brilliant  member  of 

society,  lived  at  Taplovv  Lodge, 

76,  78,  85 
Turin,  49 

UNION  of  England  with  Ireland  and 
Scotland,  Napoleon's  views,  241 
Utrecht,  221,  224,  228 

VALENCIA,  Spain,  71 

Valenciennes,  278,  282 

Vandyck,  38,  205,  206 

Vauchamps,  145 

Vaughan,  Master  of  the  Temple 
and  Dean  of  Llandaff,  19 

Vaughan,  Mrs,  see  Catherine  Stan- 
ley, 19 

Vauxhall,  30,  33 

Vendome,  Colonne,  no 

Vendome  Place,  no,  292 


320 


BEFORE   AND  AFTER  WATERLOO 


Venice,  240 

Venice  preserved,  285 

Ventas,  Spanish  inns,  58,  62,  65 

Venus  de  ftfedici,  114,  132 

Verdun,  146,  168,  169 

Vernet,  Antoine    Claude,    painter 

(1758-1836),  38 
Veronese,  Paul,  38 
Versailles,  39,  140,  305 
Vetey  Malaga,  58 

Vetturino  travelling,  25,  40,  47,  49 
Victor,  Marshal,  Due  de  Belluno, 

138,  H5 

Vienna,  Congress  of,  112,  235,  237 
Villejuif,  near  Paris,  149 
Vincennes,  Chateau  de,  134 
Vittoria,  Panorama  of,  82 
Vivienne,  Rue  de,  32,  35 

WAAL,  river,  Holland,  220 
Wagram,  Prince  de,  see  Berth  ier 
Walcheren,  199,  203,  243 
Wales,  Princess  of,  177 
Waterloo,  133,  199,  246,  247,  260, 
264,  265,  270,  275,  279 


Waterloo,  Panorama  of,  by  Barker, 

248 

Wellington,  Lord,  see  Duke  of 
Wellington,  Duke  of,  75,  263,  278, 

280,  283,  291 

Wellington  Tree,  The,  268 
White's  Club,  93,  95 
Wilberforce,  William,  128 
Wilbraham,     Mr.,     of     Delamere 

Lodge,  285 

Wilson,  Sir  Robert,  294 
Windlesham,  Surrey,  12 
Winnington,  Cheshire,  property  of 

Sir  John  Stanley,  132 
Winzengerode,  General,  145,  159 
Woolwich,  91 
Wurtemburg,   Crown    Prince   of, 

116 
Wurtemburg,  Prince   Eugene  of, 

116 


YANKIES,  238 
Yarmouth,  Lord,  242 
Yorke,  Lady  Elizabeth,  112 


UNWIN  BROTHERS,  LIMITED,  THE  GRESHAM  PRESS,  WOKING  AXD  LONDON'. 


A     000  121  139    0 


